Burning Hope
by faithy waithy
Summary: COMPLETE! This is the last book in my three part sister fic series. I strongly recommend reading "Burning Flame" and "Burning Spirit" first. Join Amber as she continues to fight for her life, her family, and the world she loves. Will she escape the spirit world? Will she stop her father? Will she ever be free? We can only hope. Read/Review. Cannon pairings. OCxOC.
1. Find a way

**Dear Readers,**

**So here is the first chapter. If you are just finding my stories then I strongly recommend reading the first two stories "Burning Flame" and "Burning Spirit", otherwise this first chapter will be extremely confusing. Thanks to everyone who did read the previous stories and are still reading. Also thanks so much for your reviews, follows, and support. I hope you enjoy the final book of Amber's story and journey. **

**Thanks,**

**Faithy Waithy**

**AND ON WITH THE STORY!**

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><p><strong>Kale POV<strong>

Walking down the steel hall of the Fire Nation ship I was on, I crossed my arms as I felt a chill run through me. Being on this ship made me almost feel claustrophobic, and I wished more than anything to be off of it. The few candles lining the wall beside me barely did anything to ease my discomfort. Walking past another steel door, I listened to the only sound which happened to be my boots hitting the steel floor. Reaching my hand against the wall, I touched the fabric of a tapestry that hung beside me, and let my hand slide across the symbol of the Fire Nation. If I could fire bend, I would've burst the tapestry into flames right then and there.

I had no respect for the Fire Nation anymore… It had taken everything from me. The Fire Nation killed my father, forced my brother into hiding, and now had hurt the one girl I loved. The thought made me tighten my fists in fury.

A steel door ahead of me opened, and I looked up to see Katara coming out of the room with exhausted blue eyes. She wore her water tribe shirt and trousers, and her water tribe choker was still around her neck. She carried in her hand a bowl of water, and I could tell she was weary and tired.

As I approached her, I asked trying to keep my voice leveled and hold back my pain, "How is she?"

Katara looked up at me with surprise, and I saw her frown when she saw it was me. "Kale, I thought I told you to go get some sleep. You won't be any help to us if you're not rested."

We both stopped in the hall, Katara now looking at me with worry in those kind blue eyes. Crossing my arms, I said with a leveled voice, "I did sleep. Ask Sokka. He'll confirm it."

"Five hours doesn't count. Stop being stubborn and go back to bed. You know as much as I do that Amber would want you to sleep, instead of worrying at her side like you've been doing these last four weeks," Katara said, and she was almost scolding me.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away from her penetrating gaze. "You've been doing the same thing… Besides, I like giving her company. It's not like there's anything else to do on this ship."

"Fine Kale… I'm too tired to argue," Katara then began to walk by, but when she got beside me she stopped. Placing a comforting hand on my weak and weary shoulder she said, "I've done all I can for her, Kale. She's alive, and her wound is healing day by day. Her heart is steady and breathings finally normal. Obviously the spirits are keeping her alive, because someone else wouldn't have been able to survive this long. We have nothing to fear, Kale. She'll wake up soon. She's the strongest person I know."

Then Katara walked off, and I stood in the hall hanging my head in exhaustion. Shutting my eyes, I tried hard to push back my worries and pain. I really hoped Katara was right about her waking up. I missed her so much.

With a hard breath, I walked toward the steel door Katara had just opened and went inside. Stepping into the room, I found the two candles on the wall had been replaced while I was sleeping. The room was still as quiet as ever, and the only sound I heard was my breathing and Amber's.

In the room I had just entered, there was a large queen bed, a wooden chair, a table against the wall with a bowl of water and a rag, and there were fire nation insignia's carved on the walls. The room used to belong to the admiral that had been in charge of the ship. After we captured the ship and threw the admiral overboard, we decided this room would be the best place to put Amber.

Walking over to the large bed in the room, I headed over to the familiar wooden chair seated beside it. As I got closer to the bed, I looked at Amber's state with agony. She was lying on the bed motionless, her body covered by a large red blanket Sokka had managed to find in a storage box. Her black hair was hanging over her pale face, and I reached my hand to brush the hair back from her eye. She made no response to my hand brushing against her skin, and I wished she had. Her skin was so cold, even though blood flowed through her. It was almost like her body was here, but she wasn't.

Sighing, I pulled the wooden chair closer to the bed and sat down. Amber's eyes were closed like they had been for the last four weeks. Her breathing was still a little slower than normal, but at least she was breathing.

Amber had saved Aang's life four weeks ago. She somehow had known Azula was going to strike Aang with lightning, because just as the lightning struck Aang, Amber raced into the crossfire and took the brunt of the attack. Aang had been knocked unconscious, and he woke up only a week after the attack. He had a wound on his chest where the lightening had hit him, but it was small compared to Amber's. Amber had actually stopped breathing, and her wound had been deep. If Katara hadn't had that special water she received from the spirit oasis back at the North Pole, then Amber most likely would've died.

The thought made me sick.

After Katara and I had managed to drag Aang and Amber to the waterfall back at Ba Sing Se in the crystal catacombs we were in, Katara used her water bending to lift us out of the deep cavern below the earth into the sunlight. The others were already waiting for us when we somehow got back to the palace courtyard, and when we managed to pull Aang and Amber onto Appa's back we took off. We escaped Ba Sing Se with the Earth King, and later we dumped him in the wild where he decided to live his life with his pet bear Bosco. When he was gone, we then flew to Chameleon Bay where we found the Southern Water Tribe warriors and Chief Hakoda.

At Chameleon Bay we spent a week doing all we could to strategize about the war with Sokka and Katara's dad, while at the same time mend Amber's wound and try to make her comfortable. As we were there I spoke with Chief Hakoda for the first time ever. When he found out I was Amber's boyfriend, he was a bit taken off guard and wasn't sure how to feel about it. He warmed up to me though, seeing I was a good kid and really cared about his adoptive daughter.

Aang woke up only a week after we arrived at Chameleon Bay, and when he heard what happened to Amber he immediately blamed himself. We kept reassuring him that she would be fine and it wasn't his fault, but he was a stubborn kid.

At the end of our first week at Chameleon Bay, the water tribe warriors under Chief Hakoda had managed to capture a giant Fire Nation vessel, and we decided it would be a perfect cover for getting into the Fire Nation. As the water tribe warriors filled the giant ship with enough supplies to last us for months, we discussed what we should do with Amber. We eventually decided to move her as carefully as we could. She had been bleeding pretty badly from the lightning strike, and her whole chest was covered with bandages. Sokka and I managed to move Amber from the tent she was staying in onto the ship by taking turns carrying her. When we finally had her safely on the ship, we set off toward the Fire Nation.

It had been a very long last few weeks, and in them I had only left Amber's side for only five hours at a time. I was scared if I did leave her for longer, then she truly would disappear from my life.

Leaning back against my chair, I let out a hard and tired sigh. Pulling the purple stone Amber had given me when we were children out of my pants pocket I held the stone tightly in my hand. It wasn't warm or glowing, even when Amber was right here in front of me alive. That's what told me she wasn't really here. At least her spirit wasn't really here.

Amber's body was here, and it was healing, but I had a feeling deep down that her spirit was trapped. She'd always told me how she feared Huo would rip her spirit from her body one day and keep her in the spirit world. If Amber was in the spirit world, then I prayed to the spirits they would bring her back to me. They had no right keeping her from me. Even if she was a spirit, she was also a human.

Reaching my hand over to her face, I brushed my hand across her cheek and then leaned forward saying, "Come on Amber… Wake up. Please… I need you." Tears slid down my cheeks again. I'd been crying so much in these last few weeks. "I know what's happening… You're trapped in the spirit world. I can feel it. Please, Amber… Keep fighting. Find a way back to us. I lost you once in the past. Don't let me lose you again." She made no response, no movement, or not even a sign that she had heard. Her breathing remained the same as it was, and I pulled my hand away knowing it was pointless.

If her spirit wasn't in her body, then she definitely wouldn't hear me.

Sighing, I brushed my hand through her hair just wishing she'd come back to me. "Please come back soon. I miss you…"

An hour or two passed, and I was just beginning to drift to sleep. My head was pillowed by my arms as I leaned forward and rested on the bed. However, a knock on the door sounded, and immediately I jumped and sat up straight looking over at the room's entrance.

Sokka opened the door and entered, and in his hand was a plate of steamed fish. He wore his water tribe shirt underneath fire nation training armor, and some dark trousers. He had his brown hair still tied back in a ponytail like always. His face was guarded trying to keep his strong warrior look, but I knew he was terribly worried about his sister.

Walking over to me, he said, "Katara told me to bring you some dinner. You should eat. We all need our strength."

Nodding, I rubbed my face trying to brush the exhaustion away. Sokka placed the fish on the table in the room, and then he walked over to Amber. His eyes softened as he stared down at his unconscious little sister. "Has anything changed?" he asked.

Shaking my head, I answered, "Same as yesterday… Her breathing's still slow, and she still isn't responsive."

Sokka sighed, then reached his hand out and stroked his little sister's hair, probably wishing she would respond. "Come on Amber… Wake up," he begged, and I could tell he cared for his adoptive sister more than anything. "We need you." She didn't respond, and Sokka pulled his hand away with defeat knowing it would do no good. For a second I could've sworn I saw a tear try to come out of Sokka's eye.

The room fell silent as we both went into our own train of thoughts. Sokka was probably blaming himself as much as I was. He was her older brother, and he probably felt like he had failed in protecting her. It was the same feelings I had. I'd promised to protect her, and I let her slip right through my fingers. If I had known what Amber was about to do, I would've surely tried to stop her.

Sokka must've noticed I was blaming myself as much as him. "Hey Kale… You know there was nothing you could've done, right?" Sokka asked, looking over at me with guarded eyes.

Nodding, I said weakly, "I just wish I could've done something. I wish I had known what she was going to do. I might've been able to stop her."

Sokka let out a hard breath. "She's so stubborn. She always puts others before herself first." He then closed his eyes hard, and I could tell he was trying not to break down. "I can't believe this happened… I swore to mom I'd look out and protect Amber. I should've been there. Maybe I could've-"

"Just as you told me Sokka... you couldn't have done anything," I interrupted, my voice sounding pained. "When Amber's set on doing something, nothing stops her. She must've known Azula was going to fire at Aang and she jumped in the way to save him."

Sokka tightened his fists to hold in his pain some more. "I wish she'd just wake up… The wait is the worst part."

Frowning, I said, "She's trapped… But I know she won't give up until she's free."

"What do you mean trapped?" Sokka asked looking at me with question.

Immediately I wanted to kick myself. Sokka would never believe me if I told him what I knew. "Nothing… Never mind..."

Sokka shot me a suspicious look, but he said nothing else as he looked back at his sister. Sighing, I looked back at Amber and said in my head, "_Don't give up Amber… Please come back to us."_

**Amber POV**

Rushing through the golden hall of the massive building I was in, I searched wildly for a way out. My bare feet hit the perfectly smooth marble floor beneath me, but I could not feel the stone on my feet. My spirit glowed as I rushed down the hall that never seemed to end, and though I knew I was breathing hard from my run, my heart did not pulse because I did not have one. My human body was somewhere else, and at the moment all I happened to be was spirit.

"Amber! Running won't help you!" Huo shouted, and I swiftly glanced back to see he was standing at the beginning of the hallway and looked amused by my attempt to escape. His gold eyes watched my movements and his fire red hair fell over his eyes a bit as he watched me. The man, who appeared in his early twenties but could have been older than the human world itself, began to walk down the hall toward me. He wore a pair of black trousers, a fire red t-shirt, and he was barefoot. Now that I thought about it I wore a long shoulder strap fire red dress that trailed to my ankles. Guess when a person goes to the spirit world, they get a makeover.

Looking away from Huo now, I returned to racing through the never ending building. There had to be a way out. Where was Roku when I needed him?

It felt like I'd been running through this building for ages. A while ago I'd appeared in Huo's massive throne room. He told me that I was pretty much dead in the human world and there was no point going back. I told him he should just shut his pie hole and tell me how to get back. He responded to my snide comment by saying, "There is no way back." After he said that, I knew he was lying, and so I turned and ran.

Rushing around the corner that I finally managed to reach, I turned the corner sharply only to run smack dab into Huo. He grabbed my shoulders as I stumbled back with his hands, and I gasped when I looked up into his gold eyes. "You honestly think you can out run me? I'm the spirit of fire," he said, as if it were obvious.

Yanking from Huo, I cried, "What do you want from me?! Just let me go!" My breathing was hard, even though I had a feeling if I stopped breathing nothing bad would happen.

"Go where? I already told you that your body is barely worth going back to," he said, and I could see he didn't understand why I was fighting him so much.

"I'm not staying here! You can't make me," I shouted, getting pretty annoyed with this spirit dude.

He frowned when he saw the anger flash across my face. "Let's go back to the main room and talk. Standing in the hall isn't the most comfortable setting."

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you! Let me go back, Huo!" I ordered.

He grabbed my shoulders harder and I winced from his touch. Then he leaned forward saying, "Why? What do you have to go back to? A life of pain, sadness, anger, regret, and hate is all you'll find in the human world. Here you can be happy. I can give you anything you want."

I tried to pull from his hold, but he tightened his grip. "Okay. If you can give me whatever I want, then I want to go back to the human world," I spat.

He leaned even closer, and I could almost see fire in his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Why are you doing this to me? What about the mission you and Roku had me on? Does that not matter anymore?" I asked, still trying to pull from his hold. He was stronger than I thought he would be.

He frowned, and then he released me. When I was free I immediately stepped back as far as I could. To my shock a wall appeared behind me and my back hit. Where did the wall come from? What happened to the hall? That's when it hit me. The halls were changing. That's why it had felt like I'd been running for so long before. Huo was somehow changing the halls and trapping me.

"How did you do that?!" I asked, looking at the spirit with terror.

He almost laughed when he saw my terror. "I made this place, Amber. If I made it, then why shouldn't I be able to make it do as I wish?" My eyes widened, and Huo sighed heavily. He stepped forward, and I squished myself against the stone wall even more. "You're in the spirit world, Amber. This place is not like the human world you know. If you stay here though, I can show you all the beautiful and magical things about it."

"I've seen enough," I snapped. Then I said, "You didn't answer my earlier question! What about the mission?"

Huo smirked. "I think the young Avatar can take care of it now. You've helped enough. In the beginning Roku and I had planned for you and Aang to stop your father, but now I've decided the avatar can handle it on his own."

"He almost died!" I cried. "That's not handling it well!"

When I said this, I could see it annoyed Huo. "So I have to send you back because the Avatar's too weak?"

Narrowing my eyes, I snapped, "That's not what I said!" Then I crossed my arms. "What I meant to say, is that it's my destiny to help Aang defeat my father. You and Roku said so yourselves, so I don't get why you're going back on your plans now. Are you desperate and lonely or something? If you are then I'm sure there are tons of other girls in the human world that will faun over you! I'm not one of them!"

He was taken aback by what I said, and I could tell he wasn't really sure how to respond.

Stepping forward with irritation, I lit a flame in my hand and snapped, "I'm going back! You can't keep me here! I'll never be happy here!"

Huo scowled at my defiance, and then he turned walking away. "You're not leaving," he hissed, walking down the hall in front of him. "Stop being so difficult." A large golden door was at the end, which opened by itself as he stepped inside. Scowling, I cut my flame off, and I followed him down the hall not really having anywhere else to go. There was a dead end behind me.

Walking through the door Huo had gone through, I found I was back in his large throne like room and he was back on his flaming seat. He had a flame in the air which he was twirling with his finger. He looked kind of sad, and I almost felt bad for him. Then I remembered he wasn't letting me go back, and all the sympathy vanished.

Walking up to him, I noticed he didn't even look my way as I walked across the marble floor that I suddenly noticed had fire symbols sketched in the stone. Looking back up, I saw his gold eyes were watching me once again.

"Look Huo," I said, stepping right up to the throne and crossing my arms. "I appreciate everything you've done for me in the past. If it wasn't for you I would've died at childbirth. I know I owe you thanks for that... However, you have to realize that I have a family waiting for me down there. I have a boyfriend who I plan on marrying one day in the future. I want to live a human life, and I want to be happy living it. What is it going to take for you to send me back?"

Huo stopped his flame and said with an even voice, "There's only one thing I want."

"Okay… What?" I asked. "Anything!"

He smiled, and I was almost afraid at what he would say next. "Your eternal servitude."

I scowled and wished I could take back my 'anything'. "What! Why the heck would I agree to that? That's not letting me live a normal human life!"

Huo stood easily, saying, "Oh, Amber… Silly Amber… I am offering you a normal human life." He stepped up to me and I saw amusement in his eyes. "You'd of course get to live in the human world again. I'll let you live like any other human, grow old, die happy. Of course I'd let you keep your abilities, seeing that if I took them away you'd die on the spot. The only reason you are alive is because of the strength I gave your human body. When your time does truly come to an end in the human world though, then your spirit will immediately come back here where you will be for the rest of eternity."

My eyes widened as I took in everything Huo had said. I'd get to live a human life, but I'd still be connected to him. Then when I died years from now, I'd have no choice but to work for Huo in the spirit world. Was an afterlife of servitude truly worth a human life?

"I know what you're thinking… A human life is so small compared to eternity, but that's all I'm willing to offer. You'll get to be with your family, with that Fire Nation boy, and you'll even get to keep your powers. You'll get to live a long life in the human world like you want. It's a sweet bargain in my eyes," Huo said.

I hung my head, wondering what I should do. Then a thought hit me. If I accepted Huo's deal, then maybe I'd find a way in the future to break my connection to Huo for good. Maybe if I could buy myself more time, I'd have a chance of finding a way to be free. It was a risk, but I was willing to take it.

If it meant getting to see Kale and the others again, I'd do anything.

"Fine," I said. Crossing my arms, I said with a leveled tone. "I'll accept your offer. You just have to promise that you won't ever yank my spirit from my body again until I am truly dead in the human world. I don't want to come back to the spirit world until I really have to."

Huo was amused by my request, but I could see he accepted my wish. "Very well… I promise on a spirits honor I won't bring your spirit here until the time is right."

I felt relieved by his acceptance. At least I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. "So we have a deal?" I asked.

He nodded. "We have a deal."

He held his hand out, as if to shake on it. Taking his hand, I once again gasped as I felt a surge of power shoot through me. This connection between Huo and I still made me uneasy, but I knew I'd try to find a way to break it. After I defeated my father, I'd search for answers no matter how long it would take.

"But…" he said, and I suddenly looked at him with terror. I hated 'buts' so much. "You have to find your own way to your body."

"What!" I cried, yanking from his hand. "We have a deal!"

Huo smirked. "I promised I'd let you go back to the human world. I never said I'd put you back myself."

Scowling, I snapped, "Fine! I'll find my way back! I don't need your help!" Turning on my heel, I began to walk toward the entrance to the giant throne room. The flames died as I approached, and I assumed that was Huo's way of saying I could leave.

"Good luck… Watch out for my neighbors while you're leaving. They'll eat anything," Huo said, trying to scare me. Turning my head, I glared daggers at him. He smirked at my annoyance, then said, "See you soon beautiful."

Turning again, I walked out of his throne room through the large door that had once been engulfed in flames. Huo wouldn't see me again. I'd find a way to never have to see that spirit ever again.

Stepping through the throne room's massive entrance, I was surprised to find I had stepped outside into a strange world and not into a hall. There was almost a barren desert like setting in front of me, but in the distance I saw the edge of a forest. Around me there were large rocky caves where I heard strange noises inside. There was no wind, and the lighting around me was almost white. Looking up, I saw in the sky strange animal like creatures flying above. Actually, some of them didn't look like animals but strange glowing orbs. There wasn't a cloud or sun in the white sky, and that made me a bit uneasy.

Looking back, I was expecting to see a giant palace behind me. To my terror I saw nothing. There was nothing but flat desert. Huo had somehow made his palace disappear. Now, I was officially alone in the spirit world, and I had a bad feeling it wouldn't be easy getting to my body.

Starting to walk across the desert floor, I kept my eyes alert as I searched for anything that might pop out and try to eat me. From what I knew about the spirit world, the spirits in it were not always nice. Aang had met one spirit named Koh, who liked to steal faces. Another time there was a spirit named Hei Bai who got angry at the Fire Nation and destroyed a village in the human world. I had to stay alert and on my toes.

Something suddenly flew past me, and I gasped jumping back as I searched for the thing that had blurred past. It could've been a mad hungry spirit. To my surprise though, I saw something very small on the ground in front of me. Slowly, I walked over to the creature that couldn't have been any bigger than my two fists put together. To my utter amazement, on the ground in front of me, I saw a small turtle duck.

My eyes widened as I stared at the familiar animal, and I saw it's beady black eyes were looking right at me. There was something different about this turtle duck compared to one in the human world. It almost seemed to have strange symbols on its shell, and a glow illuminated around its body.

It looked up at me, and I stared down at it with curiosity. "Um… Hi there little fella. You wouldn't happen to know how I can get back to my body?"

The little turtle duck quacked at me, and then it began to waddle forward. At first I wasn't sure what to do, and so I stood where I was not sure if I should follow. The turtle duck looked back a moment later though, and I saw it stare at me once more.

"Are you going to take me?" I asked.

It quacked again, and then began to walk forward once more. I couldn't believe I was about to follow a turtle duck across the desert, but deciding it was the only thing I had to go on at the moment, I decided there was nothing to lose.

Following the turtle duck for what felt like miles, I kept alert the whole time making sure no spirits popped up and got me. There were a few scary looking spirits every now and then, one even looking like a half man half rhino, but none of them made any move toward me. After what felt like forever of walking through the desert, I was surprised when we finally reached the edge of the deep green forest I'd originally seen. It was farther than it had appeared when I first got into the desert. The turtle duck stopped at the forest edge, and then looked up at me quacking again. Looking at him in confusion, I asked, "This way?"

The turtle duck nodded it's head and then flew off back the way it came. Watching the little guy go, I was amazed as it disappeared into the bright white sky. "Um… thanks," I weakly said, not really glad to be alone again. Sighing, I turned and was about to step into the forest, but to my shock someone stood in front of me.

Screaming, I jumped back and felt my foot trip over a rock. Falling to the ground, I winced from the fall actually feeling my butt ache from the crash. A laugh sounded, and I looked up in surprise to see someone I thought I'd never see again.

Someone I hadn't seen since I was six years old.

"Lu Ten…?"

My older cousin smiled down at me, his gold eyes amused at my shock. His black hair was up in a topknot still, and I saw he was wearing a fine red shirt and some nice black pants. His feet were in some black boots. His spirit looked like he had looked in the human world nine years ago. He was twenty something, tall and lean, and he smiled down at me with relief. He looked strong, and I assumed that was because he had fought many battles when he was alive.

"Hey… I'm glad Pip found you before the other spirits did. That little guy always comes through when I need him," my cousin said, then held his hand out to me. My eyes stared at my cousin's hand with amazement. My cousin who had died in battle, was right in front of me.

"Lu Ten?" I asked again.

He chuckled. "What's wrong cuz… You look like you're seeing a ghost?"

Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up to my feet. Then I asked pulling my hand away, "Is it really you, or is this some kind of trick?"

He smiled with kindness. "I should be asking you the same thing. Last time I saw you, you were six and a little shrimp. Now you're only a few inches shorter than me. Time flies when you're dead I guess."

His words made me wince. How long had I been dead for? Was there even a body left to go to?

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, my mind shooting wildly with questions. "Did you sense me or something?"

He calmly answered, "Roku sent me. He's a little busy right now, so he sent me in his place. We actually had trouble locating your spirit, because Huo was somehow hiding you. As soon as you stepped out of Huo's palace though Pip sensed you. I sent my friend to go lead you to me."

"Pip?" I asked. "You mean the little turtle duck?"

He nodded. "He's been my pal for a while now. There are some spirits here you can't trust and should stay away from, but others turn out to be great company." He then turned saying, "Come on… We better get a move on if we're going to return you to your body." He started to walk into the forest, and I followed him though I wasn't sure if I should. Crossing my arms, I stepped at my cousin's heel as he headed deeper and deeper into the forest.

"So, my body is okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Your sister Katara managed to heal you enough so your body wouldn't die. Roku's been keeping your body in a sort of frozen state so you don't starve or dehydrate. I'm not going to lie to you Amber… When you return to your body it will be painful. Your wound was deep, and it still hasn't healed completely."

Sighing, I hung my head at the thought of being in such a state. My family, Aang, Toph, and Kale were probably worried sick. "Thanks for the heads up," I whispered softly.

Looking back up, I tried to distract my mind and took in the scene around me. The trees around us stretched almost fifty feet in the air, and there were strange creatures scuttling across the forest floor. Strange plants stuck up around us, and I actually saw some really pretty flowers that seemed to actually light up the forest floor like candles. There were also large plants that looked like they could eat me, and so I stayed as far from them as I could.

"So what is Roku doing that has him so busy?" I asked, trying to make small talk and ease my worries.

Lu Ten glanced back at me, then said as he continued to walk down the forest path, "It's the avatar… since Aang was hit by Azula's lightening Roku hasn't been able to connect to him. Aang was in the avatar state when he was struck, and because of that Roku's having difficulty finding a way to reconnect to him."

"So… Aang can't go into the avatar state?" I asked, not liking where this was going.

My cousin shook his head. "I guess not."

Well that couldn't be good.

Suddenly we arrived at a sort of pond, and I gasped when I saw where I was. It was the same body of water I'd appeared at a long time ago, when Huo had first brought me to the spirit world. Looking around, I saw the jungle of roots and felt the warm ground on my bare feet. Why was I back here? Was this the portal to the human world or something?

"I know this place," I said. "I was here before. Huo brought me to this place one day when I was asleep."

My cousin had turned now and looked at me with almost sympathy. "You've truly been through a lot in your life. You were taken away from us and thought to be dead. You were beaten by Zhao and almost killed. You had to watch your own water tribe mom die right in front of your eyes. And now you're going through all of this with the war and Huo. I wish there was something I could do to help more."

Immediately I ignored the part about my mom not wanting to bring back painful memories. Smiling weakly, I said, "You have helped, Lu Ten. You're helping me get back to my body. That's more than I could ever ask of you."

He nodded, and suddenly I was pulled into his arms. He hugged me close to him, and with a sigh I hugged him back. It felt nice seeing my cousin again. "Do me a favor… When you see my dad, tell him I love him and am proud of what he's doing."

Nodding, I said softly, "I definitely will."

He then pulled away. "To get back to your body, all you have to do is step into the water and concentrate. You'll need to focus on nothing but your body in the human world."

Now I began to panic, afraid I'd not be able to do it. "What if I can't?" I asked, not wanting to be trapped here forever.

Lu Ten touched my shoulder reassuringly. "You can. You're one of the strongest girls I know, Amber. You just have to believe in yourself."

Nodding, I watched as he took his hand from my shoulder and backed up. As he backed away, I asked, "Hey, Lu Ten… I'm just curious. Do you miss the human world?"

He looked at me for a moment, and I could see his gold eyes soften as he thought over the words to say. With a weak smile, he said, "I don't necessarily miss the world, but I do miss the people. You know… I'm glad you were actually alive in the end. When I got here, I never expected to hear my cousin was alive and with the Southern Water Tribe. I've heard stories all about your travels with your family and friends."

Now I smiled. "So spirits gossip too?"

Lu Ten chuckled. "Well we have to keep up to date with the human world. It's not like there's a lot of excitement here."

Nodding, I turned and looked at the water knowing I had to go back. Glancing back at Lu Ten, I said sincerely, "It was really good seeing you."

He nodded. "You too, Amber." As I turned and began to walk toward the water, I heard Lu Ten say, "End this war once and for all."

Looking back at him, I promised, "I will."

Then stepping into the water, I prepared to head back to the human world. The warm liquid that just went up to my ankles, almost seemed to glow around me as I stood in the small pond. Glancing back at the spot I had left Lu Ten, I saw he was no longer there. "Bye, Lu Ten," I whispered. Then looking back at the pond, I stared down at my reflection hoping this would really work.

Closing my eyes, I thought of nothing but my body in the human world. As I closed my eyes, I felt the liquid that was only at my ankles begin to creep up the rest of my spirit. Trying to remain calm, I continued to concentrate on nothing but my human body.

No matter what I was getting back. Nothing was going to stop me.

Pain suddenly shot through me, and I gasped as I felt my whole body convulse. It felt like lightning was once again coursing through my body. Screaming, I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't. All I could see was darkness, but I felt the pain. It was like a knife was stabbing into my chest. My screams stopped suddenly, and I felt my throat tighten as I tried to breath. Was my spirit returning to my body now?

A loud pounding suddenly rang in my ears, and I felt something in my chest pounding weakly. My chest was burning, and I felt tears slide down my cheeks as I felt the pain. Trying to breathe, I finally managed to control my mouth and nose, and air filled inside my body. As I tried to take control of my body once more, I began to notice how heavy my muscles felt. How long had I been out? I felt like I hadn't moved my muscles in weeks.

With as much strength as I could, I opened my eyes and tried to get a bearing of my surroundings. As my eyes began to focus, and my brain started working again, I started to center on what was around me. Looking around the dimly lit room I was in, I saw two candles dancing on the wall. Beside me I noticed a wooden chair, but it was empty. A blanket was draped over my weak body, and I felt my head cushioned by a pillow. The room I was in almost seemed to sway and I wondered if maybe I was on a ship.

Looking over at the walls, I wondered if maybe I was on an earth kingdom ship or something. I had no clue what happened after I was shot by Azula, so anything was possible. Looking at the wall though, I knew an earth kingdom ship was not the case. Hanging down the steel wall, and stretching almost five feet tall and three feet wide, I saw with utter horror a bright red tapestry. On the tapestry was a black sketch of the Fire Nation insignia. The flame outline sent dread through me.

I was on a Fire Nation ship!

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed Amber's trip through the spirit world. The next chapter will start to follow the TV series again. Hope you liked it!**


	2. Awake

**A/N: So this chapter came fast, but I don't know how long the next one will take. Homework's starting to pile up at college now so I may only be able to write during the weekends now. I'll get started on the next chapter as fast as I can though. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the reviews. It was great to hear your thoughts on the first chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>Staring at the symbol of the flame hanging on the wall, I felt my blood run cold as I tried to collect myself. I was on a Fire Nation ship, and the ship definitely was moving. What was going on? Where was my water tribe family? Where were my friends? I thought Katara had healed me, so why was I on this ship?<p>

Then a thought struck me. What if after Katara healed me, I somehow got captured by the Fire Nation?

My eyes widened as it all came to me. Katara must've healed me in the crystal caverns back at Ba Sing Sei, but as she was healing me she was forced to flee because there were too many Dai Li agents. Zuko and Azula probably had my body carried on this giant war ship, and I was probably headed straight to my father.

There was no way I was going to my father. I had to get off this ship!

With all the strength I could muster, I sat up and the blanket on top of me fell away. As soon as I sat up, I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming. The pain in my chest was so intense, that I actually almost blacked out again. Holding myself together though, I took in a few deep breaths trying to push the pain back. Clutching my chest, right where my heart happened to be, I was surprised to find I wasn't wearing a shirt and the only thing covering my chest was bandages. Luckily I was covered so nothing was showing, but still, I wouldn't have minded having a shirt.

As slowly as I could without causing too much pain to my chest, I turned on the bed so I could hang my feet over the side. I was still wearing Water Tribe trousers, and I noticed with utter relief that my Water Tribe bracelet and Fire Nation bracelet were still on my wrist. At least my captors were nice enough to leave them on.

With shaky limbs, I let my bare feet hit the steel floor of the ship, and then I got ready to use my muscles for the first time. Still clutching my chest, which actually felt like a knife was stuck inside it, I used my other hand to push myself off the bed. At first I had to use the bed's edge for support, and I gasped as my muscles burned from lack of use. My head went fuzzy as I stood for the first time in who knows how long.

Giving myself a few minutes to get control of my body, I finally tried to take my first step. Still having my hand over the wound on my chest, I took a step forward and reached out for the chair near me. Stumbling only a bit, I was able to grab the chair to stop myself from falling. My head almost swam as my vision blurred a bit, but I gritted my teeth to keep from blacking out.

Taking another moment to get my vision back, I tried to breathe normally and noticed it was finally becoming easier. My muscles were feeling a bit stronger and my limbs no longer felt like liquid. Deciding to chance it, I let go of the chair and slowly made my way to the steel door of the room I was in. My chest pulsed in pain after each breath I took, but I refused to give up. I had to get off this ship and back to my family.

The ship swayed a bit as I approached the steel door, and I stumbled a bit forward but managed to catch myself. My chest felt like it was being stabbed again, but I ignored the pain as much as I could. Sweat beaded down my forehead from the pain, and I could tell my breathing was hard as I used all the energy I could to escape.

Finally I reached the door, and with a shaky hand I reached for the metal latch. Pulling it up, the door swung open and I took that as my cue to leave. Entering the dimly lit silent hall, I used the wall for support as I stumbled down the hall toward the direction I hoped was the way out. Tears began to fall from my eyes due to the intense pain I felt centered around my chest, and I wished the pain would just stop.

Lu Ten had been right… This wasn't very pleasant. It would've been nice if Lu Ten had given me a heads up about being captured too.

Turning the corner of the long hall, I saw to my utter relief a steel staircase that seemed to head up on deck. Someone stepped on the staircase though just as I approached, and to my horror it was someone in Fire Nation armor. His face was covered by a helmet, and I had no doubt he was Fire Nation. Immediately I backed away, my heart pounding hard and only making the pain worse.

The soldier who came down, looked utterly surprised to see me. "You're awake!" he cried, his voice older and somewhat familiar as he rushed down the remaining stairs toward me. He actually almost sounded like Bato, but the thought quickly went out my head when I remembered he was Fire Nation.

Immediately I panicked, not ready to be captured by this man. With a thrust of my hand, I shot a very weak ball of purple fire toward the soldier. It didn't even hit him as he stepped off his last step, but it did slow him down. Taking his falter, I took off as fast as I could down the hall. "Hey! Wait!" he called.

Gasping, I saw my eyes blur as tears took over my vision. Clutching my chest hard, I gasped for air as I felt my chest burn. The only thing that had me running down the hall right now was adrenaline. When that wore off, I knew I was in trouble.

"Amber! Wait!" the voice called, but I kept running.

The soldier knew my name… but of course he knew my name. I was the wanted princess of the Fire Nation.

Turning a sharp corner, I searched wildly for a place to hide. Immediately I saw a door open about five feet away, and I rushed inside not even hesitating for a moment. Rushing through the door, I turned and grabbed it swinging it shut not even bothering to see what room I had entered. Then I pressed the latch down to lock myself in and to lock the soldier out. Sobs escaped me as my whole body shook with terror. Falling to my knees, I clutched my chest as it pulsed with an agonizing pain. My breathing was very ragged as I tried to catch my breath.

As I continued to sob, I closed my eyes tightly wishing this wasn't happening. There was a pounding on the door, and I heard a shout from the other side but I couldn't hear what was being said. All I wanted was my family and friends right now. Sokka… Katara… Kale… Aang… Toph… I wanted to be with them all so terribly.

I was back in my human body, but I wasn't where I wanted to be. "No!" I cried out. "I'm back! I'm supposed to be back! Why? Why?!" More sobs escaped me as the pain in my chest increased.

A voice came behind the door then, and I vaguely heard someone snap, "See! I said leaving her side was a bad idea!"

"How were we supposed to know she was going to wake up the one time none of us happened to be with her?" Another voice snapped.

Somehow, as if by magic, the doors latch swung up, and I screamed falling back on my butt and kicking back from the door, trying to pull myself as far away as I could. The door swung open then, and I shut my eyes bracing myself for the soldiers to swarm in and grab me. Footsteps approached me, and I tried to back up more wanting nothing more than to be with the others. I wasn't ready to be the Fire Nation's prisoner.

I probably looked pathetic, scooting back on my butt with one hand while using my other to clutch my pounding chest. My face was probably soaked with tears, and I was sure I looked like an emotional wreck.

"Amber…" Someone suddenly said softly, and I suddenly skipped a breath as I heard him. Immediately my eyes shot open wide when I recognized the voice. What? It couldn't be? Looking up, I saw with utter bewilderment my older brother Sokka. He was wearing some fire nation training armor, which was just the chest plate. Underneath I saw he was still wearing his water tribe clothing. His eyes stared down at me with both a mixture of relief and worry. "Amber… It's okay. You're safe. You're not in danger."

Staring at my brother with amazement, I felt my pulsing heart calm as I stared into his deep blue eyes. My chest still felt like knives were stabbing through it, but I ignored the pain as relief filled inside me.

"Sokka…" I whispered, and it felt so good to say his name.

He looked utterly relieved to see me. "Glad you're finally awake."

With a cry of relief, I somehow found the strength to get to my feet and stumble forward into Sokka's arms. He quickly rushed forward himself to catch me as I stumbled, and as soon as his warm arms circled around me I broke into more sobs. Sokka lowered us both to the floor, and as we were on our knees I fell into Sokka's hold letting out my cries of relief. He placed a hand on the back of my head holding me to him as he too was relieved to see me. "Shh… You're safe now Amber. It's okay. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you," Sokka promised.

In between my sobs, I managed to choke out, "I- I thought that- that I was captured… I-I thought they got me."

Sokka sighed. "No… You're okay. You're safe. There's nothing to be afraid of... We were stupid to leave you alone like that."

Finally I felt myself calm down, and I finally began to relax in Sokka's embrace. He lowered his hand from my head and placed it on my back so he could hug me closer to him. "I'm so glad you're back," he whispered, his voice breaking a bit as he pressed his face into my hair.

Sniffling, I felt my breathing was back to normal and my shaking was starting to cease. I was safe. I wasn't captured by the Fire Nation.

"Told you she'd be back," Toph's voice suddenly said. "Princess is a fighter."

Pulling away from Sokka, I looked over at the door to see Toph was there, and behind her was Katara, Aang, and Kale. They all looked utterly relieved to see I was alive, awake, and okay. Katara actually had tears in her eyes as she looked at me with joy.

My whole body became so tired suddenly, and I knew it was because my adrenaline had finally worn off. "I'm so glad…" I whispered. "I made it back." Closing my eyes, I felt exhaustion suddenly take me over.

As I started to drift, I heard Sokka say, "Let's get her back to the room." Then I was lifted from the floor as unconsciousness took me over.

When I came to sometime later, my chest was still in pain but I could breathe a lot better. Opening my eyes weakly, I looked around to see I was back in the room I had first woken in. Instead of an empty chair though, I saw to my relief Kale was seated beside me. His amazing brown eyes met mine, and I saw him smile glad to see I was awake. His hand was clutched around my own and I was almost relieved by the familiar warmth. "Hey…" he said. "Feeling a little better?"

Staring into his familiar eyes, I said softly, "Yeah."

He took his hand from my own, and then he reached forward and stroked my hair causing me to feel comfort. "Good… That's all that matters." He pulled his hand away again, and I saw he looked like he wanted to say something else to me. He must've decided it would only upset me though, because he didn't say anything.

"What happened?" I asked now, my voice soft. I decided if he wasn't going to talk then I would.

"You don't remember?" Katara suddenly asked, and I jumped a bit surprised to see Kale and I weren't the only ones in the room. The whole group was gathered around the bed, and I saw Aang looked upright and healthy. Toph was leaning against the wall, but I could tell she was glad I was okay. Katara and Sokka stood beside Aang, at the very foot of the bed.

Shaking my head to answer Katara's question, I said softly, "The last thing I remember was dying in Kale's arms."

Now Katara smiled weakly. "Oh… Well you wouldn't remember much after that then. After you were shot by Azula, Kale and I managed to pull you and Aang to safety. Your uncle held off the Dai Li and your evil siblings long enough to give us a chance. When we got out of the crystal catacombs we found the others and got you and Aang on Appa. Aang wasn't hurt as bad as you, so I was able to heal him with regular water. If I didn't have the water from the spirit oasis to use on you, you would've definitely died."

As I took in everything Katara had just said, I tried not to think about Zuko's betrayal, Azula's attack, or the fact that Ba Sing Sei had fallen. Instead I asked, "So, I never died?"

Katara smiled. "No… You've just been in a coma for a while."

"Uncle… Did he make it out?"

Katara shook her head to answer, and I closed my eyes as I felt agony toward my uncle. He was probably locked in a prison by now. He was probably as upset over Zuko's betrayal as me.

Opening my eyes again, I asked to no one in particular, "How long have I been in a coma?"

"It's been a while," Kale answered. "You've been in a coma for four weeks."

My eyes widened and my heartbeat began to accelerate as I took this in. Four weeks! I'd been in the spirit world for four weeks! It had only felt like a day!

"That can't be! I was only in the spirit world for a day or two!" I cried in horror, sitting up and clutching my head with disbelief. My chest burst with pain at my sudden movement, and I gasped clutching my chest again.

"Hey… Don't move so fast," Katara said, taking a step forward as if to help me. Taking in a few deep breaths, I managed to dull the pain some and smiled at her weakly letting her know I was okay. When the pain finally calmed, I dropped my hand again. As soon as I did I felt Kale wrap his hand around my own, and I could tell my words had pained him.

Looking at him with question, I heard him say, "So it's true then… You were trapped in the spirit world." He looked sad by this news. "

"What! You knew this Kale?" Sokka exclaimed, stepping over to Kale furious he hadn't told him.

Kale let go of my hand now and stood from the chair holding his hands up in surrender. "It was a guess, Sokka. I didn't know it was true until now."

Sokka now cried, "So that's what you meant the other day when you said she was trapped! Why didn't you tell me?"

Kale answered calmly, "Because I wasn't sure if it was right. I didn't want to tell you something that could've been wrong."

Aang now stepped forward, and I looked over at him as he said, "You were trapped in the spirit world then… That's why you couldn't return to your body?"

Nodding, I said softly, "Yeah… Huo wouldn't let me leave."

"So how'd you get out?" Aang asked.

Lying back down against the pillow, I closed my eyes as I remembered the deal I'd made. "We made a deal."

"Which was?" Aang asked.

Sighing, I opened my eyes trying to hold in the tears as I lied. "Huo said I could return to my body, as long as I promised to defeat my father once and for all. He said after my dad was defeated he wouldn't bother me anymore."

There was silence in the room as they took in my lie. Toph now said, "Why do I actually not believe you?"

Looking over at her now, I saw she was frowning as if she could sense my lie. "That's the truth," I said, but I knew my voice wasn't very convincing. She seemed like she didn't believe me still.

"So after you made the deal," Aang spoke, trying to get back to the topic at hand, "Huo just let you go?"

Nodding, I said, "Yeah… I mean he didn't exactly put me back in my body himself, but he let me out of his layer and I was able to find help in the spirit world."

"From who?" Katara asked.

Now I smiled weakly. "My cousin Lu Ten. He helped me get back."

Everyone took in what I said, and it seemed like silence passed for a good minute. I'd told them about Lu Ten when I'd first started getting my memories back. They knew he had died at war. After an awkward silence, Kale finally said, "I guess I owe your cousin thanks."

Nodding, I frowned at the thought of my cousin. If he hadn't been there, I probably would've never made it back.

My stomach suddenly growled, and I winced immediately realizing how empty my stomach felt. I sat up once more, but this time I sat up more slowly. As I sat up, I winced clutching my chest again and saying, "I know you guys probably want to know more, but is there a way we can stop this for now. I feel like I haven't eaten in days."

Katara smiled, glad to see I was coming back to my own self. "That's because you haven't."

As Sokka and Aang went to grab me some food and water, I heard Katara say, "While they go fetch you something, I'll try and heal your wound some more so the pain can go down. I can see you're really uncomfortable."

Nodding, I winced again as a sharp pain shot through my chest. Kale crawled on the bed beside me then and held me up into a sitting position so I didn't have to strain too much. Katara crawled behind me so she was at my back, and she pulled some water from a bowl sitting nearby. As her water pressed against my back, I winced as pain shot through me. She started to heal me though, and slowly the pain started to ease.

Katara worked on my wound for a good five minutes, and she only stopped when the others came back in the room. Sokka carried a canteen of water, while Aang carried a plate of fish and sliced apples. As I ate, Katara propped up the pillows behind me so I could sit up on my own. Then I bit into the food with almost a sigh of relief. It felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks, which was very true.

As I ate, Sokka explained to me everything else that had happened while I'd been out. Apparently after the whole getting hit by lightning thing, we escaped from Ba Sing Sei which was taken over, the Earth King was dumped in the woods with his pet bear, then we met up with my water tribe father to plan the invasion, the water tribe warriors infiltrated a fire nation vessel taking it over, and we were now heading a straight course toward the Fire Nation. The idea of going to the Fire Nation kind of gave me an unsettling feeling.

"So, dad's on the ship?" I asked, placing my empty plate down beside me. Toph and Aang had left the room, and it was only Sokka, Katara, and Kale now.

My brother smiled. "Yes… He's really glad you're safe. He was so worried when he first saw the state you were in."

Katara muttered, "He had nothing to worry about. She was in good hands." Immediately I looked at my sister surprised by her attitude, but then I understood. She was mad at dad for ditching us all those years ago.

"So the spirit world… what was it like?" Katara asked now, trying to hide her annoyance with curiosity.

Frowning, I said, "Not that exciting… It was full of a bunch of trees and rocks, there was no sun, scary creatures were lurking all around me, and I had the spirit of fire practically keeping me prisoner. Overall it was a world I do not want to go back to anytime soon. I'd take being human over a spirit any day."

Katara, Kale, and Sokka weren't really sure how to respond to everything I had just said.

Staring down at the blanket that was still covering my lap, I immediately realized how stuffy and warm it happened to be in the room. I really needed some fresh air.

Sighing, I said, "I want to go up on deck. I need some air."

I started to swing my legs off the bed, but immediately Sokka stopped me. "Wait! You're in no condition to go anywhere right now."

Now I looked at my brother with a weak smile. "Sitting in bed isn't going to do me any good. I need to be walking and building my strength back up."

"No! You need to be resting," Sokka said, crossing his arms not liking my plan.

Kale stood now taking my side. "We'll just let her go up for a little bit, Sokka. She could use the fresh air. When it starts to get too much we'll bring her right back."

Sokka seemed like he wanted to argue again, but Katara was already giving in and walking over to me. Both her and Kale grabbed one of my arms and managed to ease me up from the bed to a stand. My bare feet were a little cold on the steel floor, but it didn't really bother me. It actually felt nice. I stumbled a bit as I fully stood, but I was able to catch myself. My chest burned still, and I felt the knife like pain again, but I ignored it trying to be strong. A little pain never stopped me before.

Somehow I found my strength, and we made our way through the hall once more back toward the staircase. At least this time I wasn't running for my life. Right before we went up the steps, Katara helped me put on a loose fitting blue shirt, and she then placed a black cloak around me to keep me warm. When I was bundled up, Kale and Sokka now took both sides of me to help me up the stairs. Sokka still didn't agree with me being out of bed, but he understood that I wasn't going to listen to him.

Finally I emerged from below the ship, and I almost gasped as the wind hit my body and aggravated my chest. Sokka and Kale noticed I tensed, because they both gripped my arms harder in case I fell. Taking in a few hard breaths, I said softly, "I'm okay… It's just going to take a minute."

Katara was still behind us as she spoke with worry, "Are you sure you want to do this Amber? You could give it another day."

Ignoring my sister, I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh cool air. Sokka and Kale still had a hold on my arm, but I ignored everything as I felt my hair blow from the breeze. The pain in my chest was there, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as I breathed in the salty air.

It felt so good to be back to the human world. It felt so good to be human again. The cold brushing on my face, my heart pounding in my body, and the blood rushing through my veins, felt so good at the moment. Opening my eyes again, I managed to find more strength inside me. Pulling away from Sokka and Kale's holds, I saw they weren't sure if they should let me walk on my own.

"It's okay," I reassured. "I've got this."

Clutching my chest again, I took a step forward and almost was relieved when I didn't stumble or fall. Slowly, I walked across the ship's deck and reached the railing. Clutching the railing, I immediately felt better having something to hold on to. I knew Sokka, Katara, and Kale had followed me but I ignored them as I took in the freedom I felt.

"I'm back…" I whispered, staring at the oceans waters with tear filled eyes. The sun was behind the clouds, but I could feel its warmth seeping through the gray in the sky. "I can't believe I made it back... It feels so good to be human again."

Kale stepped beside me at the railing now, and I felt his hand overlap mine from where it was clutching the rail. "I knew you would come back… You always come back," he said.

Smiling, I leaned into his side and I felt his arm immediately wrap around my shoulders and pull me closer to him. "I had to come back," I said softly. "There was no way I was letting you guys have all the fun."

Kale laughed now, and I smiled glad to hear his laugh again. It was definitely good to be back.

We stood by the railing for a few minutes, and I winced a bit whenever a cold breeze hit me. The cold aggravated my wound, but I tried to hide my pain from Kale and the others so they wouldn't worry anymore. I hated seeing them worry about me when there were more important matters at hand.

"Dad, she just woke up. I don't think now is a good time," Sokka suddenly said a little ways from me, and my eyes widened when I heard his words.

Turning, I looked behind me to see Sokka was standing in between me and my Water Tribe father about four yards away. The man I hadn't seen in what felt like a century, stood in front of Sokka but didn't seem effected by his words. Staring into my father's soft blue eyes, I saw he had changed some since I last saw him at the South Pole so long ago. His brown hair was a little longer as he kept it half up in a ponytail and half down. He had more of a beard than I remembered, though it wasn't too long. His body was much more muscular, and I saw a few scars on his skin from the many battles he had fought. He wore traditional red fire nation armor with a gold trim on the edges, and he had black boots on.

My water tribe father smiled at me when he saw my eyes meet his, and I could tell he was utterly relieved and overjoyed to see me awake and alive. Pulling from Kale, I turned fully to face my adoptive father now and felt tears fall down my cheeks.

"Da-" immediately I stopped myself, my voice catching as I realized what I was about to say. Was it right to still call Chief Hakoda my dad? Did he even see me as his daughter anymore, now that I knew who I truly was?

He stepped around Sokka, who let him go but wasn't sure if he should've. As my adoptive father approached me, I felt more tears fall down my cheeks when I saw relief on his face. He was happy to see me. He didn't care that I found out about my past. He still loved me even when I wasn't his daughter by blood.

"Dad!" I cried.

Rushing forward, I stumbled a bit as I fell into my loving father's arms. Even if he wasn't my biological father, he was the man I thought of as my true father. He hugged me close to him, and I shut my eyes tightly as he placed his warm fatherly hand on the back of my head. "Kaya… It's so good to see you're alive. I was so worried about you," he said, pressing his face into my hair. Even though he used my old name, I wasn't bothered by it. All I cared about at the moment was being in my dad's arms.

"Daddy… I can't believe you're here," I whispered, so glad to see him again… so glad to hear his voice again.

He pulled me closer to him, and I ignored the sharp stab in my chest just glad to see my dad again. "I've heard you've been through a lot these last few months," he said.

Nodding, I opened my eyes and frowned as I remembered everything that had occurred in the past. "Yeah… It's been a rough road, but I'm still trudging on."

He sighed, "You definitely are. I'm so proud of you, Kaya."

Now I smiled, glad to hear those words from my dad's mouth. It felt good to know the father who actually cared about me was proud of me.

Pulling away from him, I said thanks and went to say something else but something stopped me. A sharp pain suddenly shot through my chest, like a sharp dagger, and I cried out clutching the place where my wound was and losing my balance a bit. My dad quickly caught me, and I heard footsteps rush over having heard my cry.

"Amber!" Kale said. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, I said through the pain and gritted teeth, "I-I just need a minute."

Sokka's voice now said, "I told you guys we should've kept her in bed."

Katara said with worry, "We should get her back to the room. She's probably overdoing it."

Now I managed to push the pain back again. "No… I'm okay… Just give me a minute."

A shout suddenly rang from across the deck, and I looked over to see to my utter surprise the dude that used to be a part of Jet's freedom fighters and had carried around a giant wooden club. His name was Pipsqueak I believe… Staring at the very tall and strong dude, I was amazed to see him. What was he doing here?

"We've got company!" he said, then pointed towards a fire nation ship in the distance coming toward us.

Bato arrived out of nowhere, and he too was wearing Fire Nation armor. I realized he had been the soldier who had chased after me when I first woke up. To even more of my surprise, he smiled weakly at me. The man who didn't like me, and who had only seen me as the enemy in the past, had actually smiled at me. He must've had a change of heart after seeing the condition I'd been in.

Toph and Aang came over to the group that was forming then, and I also saw the short freedom fighter I'd met before named The Duke arrive too. My dad quickly took charge when the group all met together. "Everyone just stay calm. Bato and I will take care of this."

Sokka suddenly wrapped an arm around me and led me away from the group. Katara dragged Aang along behind us, and I heard Toph and Kale follow.

"Wait… Why are we going to hide?" I asked as Sokka led me behind some really large wooden crates. "Shouldn't we fight them?"

He helped me sit down against the crate as he answered, "Hopefully we won't have to. Besides… You and Aang need to stay here so they don't see you. Plus you wouldn't really be much help in a fight right now, Amber."

Aang scowled. "I'm not just going to sit here! I don't see why I have to hide?"

Kale was the one to speak next. "You know why, Aang… You and Amber are both thought to be dead, and we want to keep it that way. If the Fire Nation learns you're both still alive, they'll be chasing us across the world again."

My eyes widened at what Kale had just spoken. Dead… I was thought to be dead.

Immediately I wondered if Uncle and Zuko thought I was dead. They were probably devastated. Then I remembered Zuko's betrayal and I decided in the end he probably didn't care if I was alive or dead. Trying to push Zuko to the back of my mind, I knew thinking about what he did would only make me hurt more.

The ship came to a halt as I assumed the Fire Nation vessel had pulled up alongside ours. As the soldiers from the other ship came on board and began to converse with my father and Bato, I leaned back against the wooden crate. I was a bit surprised the Fire Nation soldiers couldn't tell they were on a captured ship. As the conversation went on, I saw Aang was fidgeting as he yearned to go knock some Fire Nation soldiers around.

Eventually we heard the two soldiers who had come on the ship turn and leave. As they left, Toph jumped up with sudden terror. "They know!" she shouted.

I guess they could tell they were on a captured ship after all.

As Katara and Toph rushed out to help fight the soldiers, Kale and Sokka stayed with me and Aang to make sure we didn't go anywhere. As the fighting went on, I listened to water and fire shooting back and forth.

"I should go help," Aang said, going to stand.

Sokka grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down beside me. "No. Stay out of sight. If you want to help, then keep an eye on Amber."

He and Kale then left Aang to watch me- or more like babysit me- as they joined the fight. As the fighting could be heard from behind the crate we sat against, I saw Aang mope a bit, not happy to be out of the battle. "I hate sitting around and doing nothing," Aang muttered.

"Same here," I said, hearing a grunt from behind as someone must've been knocked to the steel deck.

As the fighting went on behind the crate we were against, I saw Aang wanted to say something to me, but he wasn't sure if he should. Then finally he mustered up the courage.

"Um… I know now isn't the best time, but I want to get it off my chest," he began to say. "Thanks for what you did back at Ba Sing Sei. You saved my life back there. Katara said if you hadn't jumped in the way, I probably would've died."

"I'm just glad you're okay," I said sincerely.

"Why'd you do it, though?" Aang asked.

Sighing, I leaned back against the crate saying, "I did it because you're my friend. When Roku told me what Azula was about to do to you, I couldn't just sit by and watch. Even if you're the Avatar, you're like a brother to me. I'd take a blast of lightening for you any day."

Aang blushed a bit, but I could see he liked what I said. "Thanks... That really means a lot."

Another moment of silence fell, and we heard the fighting behind us still. There was the sound of water hitting the deck, swords clashing, and grunts as the enemies were shoved to the deck.

After a minute of the awkward silence Aang broke it. "So what did Huo really say to you? I know you lied earlier."

At first I was shocked by his question, but then I saw he was serious. He had seen right through my lie like Toph.

"You can tell me," Aang said, seeing I was uncertain what to do.

I'd trusted Aang with my secret before back when Zhao had imprisoned me and badly burned me, and Aang was able to keep his promise then. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "If I tell you," I began. "You have to promise to keep it between us."

Aang nodded his head to let me know he promised.

The fighting was still happening behind us as I answered, "Truth is… Huo kind of said he would let me live a normal human life, but when I die for good in the human world I'll be stuck with him for all eternity."

"So you're still connected to him then?" Aang asked.

Sighing, I leaned my head back against the crate. "Yeah… I'm hoping one day I can find a way to break the connection between Huo and I, so I won't be trapped in the spirit world for all eternity."

"Is the spirit world really that bad?" Aang asked now, and I looked at him with surprise. "I mean, I've been there a few times and it seems like a really cool place."

Thinking it over for a moment, I finally found my answer. "It's not being in the spirit world that's bad Aang… It's being there alone…" I whispered, my voice breaking a bit. "I don't want to be a spirit forever if it means never seeing Kale again."

Aang now saw where I was coming from. "Oh… Now I understand." Then he said, "But… How do we know if Kale won't be in the spirit world after he dies? I mean, when you said Lu Ten was there, I got to thinking... Maybe everyone goes to the spirit world when they die."

His words took me a bit off guard, but they didn't really reassure me. "Still… Even if Kale does come to the spirit world when he dies himself, I think Huo would do everything in his power to keep me away from him."

"Why would he do that?" Aang asked.

Now I muttered, "I think the Spirit of Fire has a crush on me or something."

Aang took this in for a moment, and then he smiled. "Well then I know how to fix your problem! All we have to do is find Huo a girlfriend," Aang said trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't really serious, but I could tell he was trying to cheer me up.

Rolling my eyes, I frowned a bit.

Aang could see he wasn't really helping my mood.

"Okay. In all seriousness now, I get what you're saying, Amber." Aang began, brushing his joke aside. "I wouldn't want to be stuck with some weird obsessed spirit for the rest of my eternity. When this war is over, I'll definitely help you find a way to break from Huo permanently."

"Really?" I asked. "You'd do that for me?" Then I smiled with relief. "Thanks, Aang."

He shrugged. "It's the least I could do. I mean I'm alive because of you."

A load roar suddenly rang through the air, and both Aang and I jumped as we heard the monstrous sound. Aang immediately hopped to his feet and turned so he could peer over the crate. As he did that, I tried to find my own strength and push myself off the steel deck. Using the crate beside me for support, I turned so I too could see what was happening.

To my utter terror, a giant snake like fish extended its long body out of the water. It was probably over a hundred feet long and had purple and teal scales. Its gills which were on the side of its face were a light green, and when it opened its mouth I saw very sharp looking teeth. The sea-serpent looked like it could break our boat into two with one snap of its mouth. Looking around, I saw the Fire Nation soldiers had retreated to their ship and were staring up at the giant sea serpent with terror. As I stared at the creature, I heard Sokka say from a few yards nearby, "The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

Toph shouted from where she stood a little farther away, "You make it too easy!"

As the serpent prepared to strike at us, a fireball from the other ship hit it in the head making it roar in rage. It turned from our ship and dived under the water, causing our ship to lurch forward from the waves it created and gain some distance from our enemies.

As the serpent attacked the enemy Fire Nation ship, our own ship immediately went full speed and we once more shot through the water trying to gain as much distance as we could. As we left the serpent and the enemies behind, I heard Sokka shout, "Thank you, The Universe!"

We were safe once again, and we were once more heading a course toward the Fire Nation. As everyone recovered from the battle that just passed, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Kale walked back over to Aang and I.

"See… All taken care of," Sokka said with a smirk.

"No… We were just really lucky," Katara muttered.

"I actually saw a different outcome to that one," Toph muttered. Then she smirked. "Ha! Saw! Good one Toph!" We all rolled our eyes at her own blind joke.

Sighing, I leaned back against the crate again glad the everyone was okay. As soon as I did though a sharp pain shot through my chest and I winced clutching it once more. Katara must've noticed my discomfort, because she came over to me with worry. "Come on, Amber… You've had enough excitement for one day."

As she led me away from the others, I closed my eyes enjoying one last breeze as I went down the steel stairs back into the dark.

A few days passed after the whole Fire Nation sea-serpent thing. My strength was slowly coming back, and the pain was easing day by day. Three days after I'd woken, I decided it was time to try and wash the dirt and grime off of me. When I took the bandages off and saw the scar for the first time I winced. It looked pretty bad, and I could see that my skin was raw and blistered right where my heart was. It actually looked like a burn in a way. It was amazing I had survived the attack, but I guess I had Katara and that spirit water to thank for that. After I washed up, which was a bit painful but tolerable, Katara helped me replace my bandages. Then she gave me some fresh clean clothes which consisted of dark blue pants, and a light blue short sleeved shirt. It felt good to feel clean.

After another week of speeding through the ocean toward the Fire Nation, we needed to restock the ship and make some repairs from the previous battle. Also, some of the water tribe warriors who were on the ship with us wanted to get on land again. After Sokka looked on a map to find out where to go, we eventually arrived at a small pier that was actually called Seedy Merchants Pier. The name was familiar and I knew exactly why. It was the same pier we'd come to where we robbed the pirates and met up with my brother Zuko and his soldiers. That felt like so long ago.

My memory took me back to that day, and I remembered that was the big turn point. That was the day I left Kaya behind and accepted being Amber.

After Zuko's betrayal, I kind of wished I'd just stayed Kaya.

As the others went into the small village that the pier belonged to, Aang and I sat in a room trying not to be bored out of our minds. The room was just a small cabin with a bed, a table against the wall, and a chest underneath the table. There was a circular window in the room that you could see the ocean through, and I was kind of relieved to have some natural light.

Now that I was feeling better, I was beginning to see why Aang was so aggravated. It seemed like neither of us could do anything if it meant risking our discovery. We were almost on house arrest as we waited for the others to come back from getting us some dinner. As we sat in the room on the bed, and we played a card game to try and pass time, I could tell Aang's mind was somewhere else.

"It's your turn," I said, trying to get his mind back.

He sighed, not even bothering to take his turn. "I think I'm going to forfeit. I'm not really in the mood to play anymore."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He frowned now. "This all just sucks… This whole invasion plan is going to get everyone killed. Storming into the Fire Lord's home is a risk, and I don't see anything good coming out of it." He then looked at me with sad eyes. "I mean look at you… We tried to invade the Fire Nation with the Earth King, and in the end we lost Ba Sing Sei and almost lost you." He placed his cards down now, and I watched him stand from where he sat on the bed across from me.

"I don't want you getting hurt again, and I definitely don't want Katara getting hurt either. Plus I'd never forgive myself if Sokka, Kale, and Toph got injured. I have to do this on my own. I need to face the Fire Lord alone."

When he said this I looked at him with terror. "Aang! You're crazy! I know the Fire Lord and he isn't a man to be taken lightly. He'll slaughter you in a single second if you do this alone. You can't even go into the avatar state, so how are you going to fight him on your own anyway?"

Aang turned away from me, and I heard him say, "I'll figure it out. All I know is I'm not taking you with me. It's my fault you almost died in the first place, so I'm not taking that risk again."

He started to walk toward the door, and I quickly got off the bed rushing after him. The pain in my chest was still there, but it didn't bother me as much as before. "Aang, stop! You don't know what you're saying," I said, grabbing his arm so he couldn't reach the door.

He turned sharply and said, "I do! I'm not going to let my friends die because of me!" Then suddenly he flung his hand toward me and a hard wind knocked me back. Falling to the floor on my butt, I winced as my chest complained from the sudden movement. Looking up, I saw Aang was already through the door and he shut it behind.

Jumping to my feet and rushing to the door, I tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. Ice suddenly began to seep through the doors cracks, and I immediately knew Aang was locking me in; or more like freezing me in. "Aang!" I cried.

"I'm sorry Amber, but I can't let you stop me!" Aang shouted, and then I heard nothing more. I assumed he was racing as fast as he could to flyaway before the others arrived. Immediately I lit a purple flame in my hand and shot the door with what power I had. My flame was still weak, but it was enough to heat up the door and melt the ice. As soon as the ice was gone, I shoved the door open and took off down the hall. Racing up the stairs that led to the deck, I caught sight of Aang as he now had his glider and was preparing to take off.

"Aang! Please stop!" I called, rushing across the sunset lit deck as fast as I could.

Aang looked back at me, then turned away saying, "I'm sorry! I have to do this!" I was just about twenty feet from him when he made his move. Putting his glider behind him, he raced forward and took off into the sky.

"AANG!" I cried, rushing to the ship railing and gripping it as I watched my friend soar off over the ocean. Horror filled me as I watched the young air bender fly farther and farther away. "AANG!" My chest suddenly pulsed in pain and I winced. The run probably didn't make my chest very happy. Falling on my knees, I felt exhausted from my sudden run. Though my strength was coming back every day, I still wasn't to my fullest health yet.

When the others got back to the ship, it was dad who found me still clutching onto the railing as I sat on my knees. Katara had completely not noticed me as she went down below deck to give me and Aang our supper. It took my dad a few moments to notice me, and I think the only reason he did finally see me was because he heard me sniffle.

My dad quickly rushed over to me when he finally saw me across the deck, and I looked up at him with agony. Tears were falling down my cheeks as I worried about my air bender friend.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside me so he could grab my shoulders and look me over to see if I was hurt.

Hanging my head, I felt utterly at fault for letting Aang get past me. "Aang… He's gone," I whispered. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."

My dad sighed and pulled me to him hugging me close to comfort me. "Kaya… Oh…" He realized he used the wrong name, though it didn't matter to me all that much. "I mean, Amber… It wasn't your fault."

I knew it wasn't, but I still felt I could've done more.

"Amber! Where's Aang?" Katara suddenly asked, and I jumped when I heard her voice come from nowhere. Both dad and I looked over at her to see she was breathing hard from taking a sudden run. Sokka, Toph, and Kale had heard Katara's shouts and rushed over to see what was going on. Sokka had Momo on his shoulder, and I could tell Momo was looking around for Aang too. When Kale saw me on the steel floor, he gave me a concerned look and I looked away to hide my guilt.

Answering Katara's question, I said weakly, "He left… I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. He said he was going to defeat the Fire Lord alone."

"What?!" Katara cried. "Is he crazy?! What is he thinking?!" When I looked back up at my sister, I saw she was crying, and I mean the sobs and everything. Nudging dad, I gave him a look telling him to go comfort her. He nodded in understanding, let me go, and got up. Walking over to his daughter, I smiled weakly as he hugged her close to him. Katara needed dad right now.

Kale's hands suddenly grabbed my arms and helped me up. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Nodding weakly, I wiped my eyes which were still filled with tears.

Sokka suddenly began to discuss what we should do next. Still hanging my head with guilt, I listened to Sokka, Kale, and Toph as they discussed what we should do about Aang's sudden disappearance. Katara was having a heart to heart with dad, so we decided not to bug her.

"What should we do now?" Toph asked. "With Twinkletoes flying off there's no way this ship will catch up to him."

"I hate to say it," Sokka said. "But we have to take Appa and split from the group. We need to get to Aang before he seriously hurts himself. There's a storm coming, and his glider's not going to be able to hold him long." Now that he mentioned it, I did see some dark clouds in the distance.

"Will we be able to catch up?" Kale asked.

"I hope so," Sokka said. "We have to go now though if we want to even have a chance."

Now my spirits were back up. "Let's go then," I said, suddenly feeling confident. Aang got away, and I should've stopped him. This was my fault in a way.

"Wait… I don't know if you should-" Sokka began.

"I'm coming! I came back to the human world to be with you guys and help you, not to be left behind!" I snapped. "Besides, I'm the only one who knows which way Aang went, and I feel responsible for not stopping him."

Sokka now looked amazed at what I'd said, and I could tell he didn't know how to respond.

Dad was actually the one to speak. "You kids go and catch up to Aang." Katara stood beside him, and she looked like she was in better spirits, probably because she had her heart to heart with dad. Dad continued, "We'll see you at the Black Cliff's with the invasion force. We'll prepare for battle when we all get there. Take care of each other."

As Sokka and Katara hugged dad one last time, I stood aside waiting for my turn. When they were done and walked off to prepare Appa (who was on the other side of the ship) for flight, it was my turn. Rushing forward, I wrapped my arms around my dad and he pulled me close to him.

"Be safe," he said.

"You too," I responded. Then I felt the need to say something else. "Just so you know…" I began, smiling at his fatherly embrace. "You're my true dad."

He sighed when he heard this. "I'm glad." He then kissed me on top of the head. "Take care of your brother and sister."

Now I laughed. "I think they'll take care of me more."

We all then piled on Appa, and I saw dad watch us with proud eyes. Bato stood beside him to wish us luck, and Pipsqueak and The Duke waved goodbye from the distance. Appa had a new saddle now, thanks to the water tribe warriors, so it was easier to sit on him now. Kale, Toph, and Katara sat in the saddle with me, while Sokka sat at the front taking Appa's reins. "Yip! Yip!" He said.

Appa took flight then, and I felt Momo grab my arm to have something to hold onto. As soon as we hit the air, and I told Sokka which way to go, Momo let me go and crawled over to Sokka's shoulder again. Sometimes I forgot the little lemur was even with us.

It was only ten minutes of flying when the rain started to come down. The storm that Sokka had mentioned earlier had finally hit us, and I had a feeling Aang was already feeling its force. As we went through the storm, trying to avoid lightning that struck down at us, I scanned below trying to find any sign of Aang. All I could see was water.

"_Amber… Tell your brother to turn more toward the west. Aang is on Crescent Island, back where my temple once stood," _Roku suddenly said, coming out of nowhere. It felt like forever since I'd last heard his voice.

"_Where have you been?" _I asked in my head.

"_I've been a little everywhere," _he answered. _"Now go… Aang's unconscious right now."_

Deciding now to argue with Roku, I did as he said. "Sokka!" I called. "Turn more to the west. Head toward where Roku's temple used to be!"

My brother looked back at me with amazement. "What? Why would I do that?"

"You're really questioning me?" I asked.

My brother went to say something back, but then he realized he didn't know what to say. Turning Appa toward the west, I heard him say, "I sure hope you know where were going."

Continuing to glance down below, I stared at the darkening waters more as I searched for Aang. The sun was down, and the sky was covered in clouds hiding the moon and stars. The lightening and wind had stopped, but the rain continued. As we flew more across the water, I saw a shape in the dark that almost appeared like an island.

Immediately I shouted, "Down there!"

Sokka didn't question me this time. Instead he sent Appa downward toward the island, and when we got closer we saw lava streaming from the place that was now a volcano. Aang was by the water, his body unconscious just as Roku had said.

"Amber… You're amazing!" Katara exclaimed, hugging me with delight that I'd helped to find Aang. Her hug made me wince a bit, but I smiled glad to see she was happy. She let go of me a second later, ready to get to Aang.

"Thanks Roku…" I said low enough for only me to hear. It was his help that got us to Aang in the first place.

When we finally landed, Katara, Sokka, and Toph slid off Appa to run over to Aang. Kale helped me down Appa's tail, and I was grateful because the flying and Katara's previous hug had really aggravated my injury enough.

When Kale and I caught up to the others, we saw Aang was awake and sitting up now. Katara and Sokka knelt on both sides of him while Toph stood in front. Aang looked utterly ashamed at what he had done, and at the worry he had given to everyone. "What about the invasion?" I heard him ask.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse," Sokka said. Aang looked like he was taking these words in.

Toph suddenly pointed over at something on the ground and walked over to it. "Hey what's…" Aang's staff was split in half and burnt as she picked it up in her hands. "Oh… It's your glider."

Aang brushed it off. "That's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." He took the glider from Toph then, and walked about ten yards away to the stream of flowing lava. With guarded eyes, he placed his busted staff into the lava. The stick caught fire as it sat in the burning liquid, and then it sunk below.

"Glad he finally understands," Sokka muttered.

As we started to load back on Appa, Aang walked over to me with guilt. Wringing his hand as he looked down with regret, he said, "Sorry for earlier Amber… I hope I didn't hurt you too much."

Smiling, I said, "It takes a lot more than wind to hurt me… I forgive you."

He smiled, glad to hear he'd been forgiven.

When we all got back on Appa, and the giant bison took off into the air, I pulled my knees close to me as we started to head deeper into the Fire Nation. Head closer to the Fire Lord…Closer to my insane sister… Closer to my brother Zuko who had betrayed me... Was I ready for this?

Was I ready to fight the Fire Lord and save the world?

Looking around, I saw the confident faces of Sokka, Katara, Kale, Aang, and Toph as we headed closer to my father. They were ready to end this war once and for all. They all had so much hope that we would win, and I could tell they weren't afraid of losing. If they were ready, then I knew I was ready.

My confidence grew as we flew toward the looming battle ahead.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and let me know what you thought. =)**


	3. The walls crumble

**A/N: New chapter! Had some time this weekend. This chapter takes place during "The Headband" episode. Enjoy! Thanks for the support and reviews!**

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><p>Wind rushed past my face as we flew across the Fire Nation's territory. It was hot here which Kale said was a year round thing. From my memories, or what memories I'd gotten back, I never recalled a time where it was cold when I was really young.<p>

"It's so nice… I don't think I've ever felt weather like this before," Katara said, lying back on the saddle with her hands behind her head and her eyes closed. She looked relaxed.

Sokka scowled from where he sat on Appa's saddle. "Don't get comfortable. This isn't a vacation! We're in enemy territory now." He was still wearing his Fire Nation armor from when we left the ship, and now his hair was done up in a traditional topknot that I did for him. I'd seen Zuko's in the past so I had an idea of what it should look like.

"Feels weird to be headed back home after all these years," Kale said. "I haven't seen this place since I went to the Earth Kingdom to work at the tea shop."

"I'm just glad we have Tea Bag to guide us around and show us how to be Fire Nation," Toph said using Kale's nickname, leaning back against Appa's saddle. "We'd be lost without him."

Aang sat beside her with a childlike grin. "I've been to the Fire Nation before too. I know all about their customs and traditions!"

Now I spoke up. "That was over a hundred years ago Aang… Things may have change-"

"Nah! I doubt it's that much different," Aang cut me off, excited to see the Fire Nation.

Immediately I looked over at Kale, who looked at Aang unsure if he should say something too. Kale and I were pretty sure the Fire Nation wasn't like what Aang remembered. The war and my Fire Nation family had changed it for the worst.

The one thing that really sucked about all of this, as we flew closer and closer to the place I'd been born, was that I was entering a land I didn't really know. Yes, I was the princess of the Fire Nation, but after growing up in another place with another family I felt like a stranger to this land. Even though these were my roots, and I would probably blend in easily with my golden eye color and black hair, I still knew this wasn't where I belonged.

The Fire Nation was my birth place and bloodline, but it wasn't my home.

We flew some more, and eventually we began to see small sets of rocky islands form around us. Birds that I tried to name from books I had read flew past us, and below I could see some other birds resting on the rocks and flying away whenever a wave almost hit them.

"Alright… I suggest putting some cover over us right now. Sometimes these islands have Fire Nation soldiers hanging out on them to guard the area from intruders," Kale said.

Katara nodded in understanding and began to use her water bending to create a cloud of fog around us. As she moved her hands around in fluid movements to form the thick cloud around Appa's whole body, she said, "I suggest we find a cave to stay in when we get to the first main island. Appa's probably starting to get tired from flying for so long."

"From the maps I memorized back at the palace, I believe we're almost there. The first main island shouldn't be too far ahead," Kale said.

"You memorized the maps?" Sokka asked, and I saw him shoot a glance back at Kale bewildered.

Kale immediately rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… I mean, there wasn't really anything else to do there after Amber disappeared. She was really my only friend, so I got bored pretty easily."

Now I hung my head a bit, feeling bad for abandoning Kale when we were younger. Even though it wasn't my fault, and I didn't have a choice in the matter, I still felt bad for putting Kale through that.

An awkward silence fell over us for a few minutes.

"So what's the Fire Nation capital like?" Toph asked, suddenly breaking the silence. She couldn't see what was going on so she was probably bored. "I've heard only rumors about it, but from what I hear people live it up there."

"The rumors are pretty true," Kale said. "The Capital is home to some of the Fire Nation's wealthiest. The Fire Lord's palace is in the very center, surrounded by the city, and it takes up a vast majority of the area. The whole place is also in a sort of crater, so it's kind of difficult to invade from other sides. You have to head straight in or you're not going to get in."

"Makes me feel a lot better about this invasion," Sokka muttered. "Only one way in and out."

We fell silent then, and we once more looked down below through the cloud Katara was still making.

It had been two days since we'd caught up with Aang back at Roku's Island and began to head toward the Fire Nation. My chest actually didn't bother me as much now, but I was still not entirely up to my full strength. Katara said that was probably because my heart had been struck during Azula's attack and was still weak. It was also probably because I'd been out of my body for so long.

We suddenly began to fly over land, and Kale immediately perked up when he saw the rocky formations below us. "This is it!" Kale said. "One of the main islands!"

Sighs of relief could be heard from the group as we realized we'd made it. After what felt like weeks of traveling, we were finally about to land on Fire Nation soil. The only one in the group who wasn't relieved was me. In fact I wasn't happy about being in the Fire Nation one bit. I knew we had to go to stop my father, but that didn't mean I was thrilled about it. Being in the Fire Nation would probably bring back more memories I didn't want, and it also kept making me think of Zuko.

At the thought of Zuko, I frowned.

"_You don't know what it's like! I've been waiting for this chance for three years! I'm not going to lose it again!"_

"_Well you've lost me, so congratulations!"_

Pain shot through me as I remembered the feelings inside me at that moment back at the crystal caverns; the moment where Zuko made his choice and betrayed me. I felt hurt, anger, betrayal, and at one point I even hated him. I hated him for hurting me. I hated him for hurting uncle. I hated him for picking honor over family.

Tightening my fists, I shut my eyes trying to push the emotions back.

"_I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I would never dream of doing anything that would hurt my sister. I do love her…"_

Zuko's words to Katara shot through me like a knife.

"_You hurt me!"_

He lied. Zuko had hurt me. He burned me and took Azula's side. He preferred to be with a sister that hated his guts, instead of one that was willing to accept him into the group. Why couldn't Zuko see how much I cared about him? Tears threatened to spill from the hurt inside, but I pushed them back. If I started crying everyone would worry, and we had more important things to worry about.

A conversation sprung up among the group, but I didn't really hear what they were saying. It was something about spicy Fire Nation foods, but I tuned it out going back to my own thoughts.

Why did Zuko do it? Why did he choose honor over family?

Hugging my knees close to me, I bit my tongue to keep from crying.

Was I dead to Zuko? Did he not care about me anymore? He probably thought I was dead but at the same time didn't care, because he'd gotten what he always wanted. He'd gotten his honor. Tightening my hand into a fist, I had to do all I could to not let my emotions escape me.

Why, Zuko? Why would you do this to me?

Letting out a hard sigh, I tried to push the thoughts away and refocus on the conversation. Looking back at the others, I heard them talking about finding some clothes after we found a cave to stay in. As Katara continued to bend the cloud around us, I heard her state that our water tribe, earth kingdom, and air nomad clothing would stand out way too much in the Fire Nation.

"Well where are we supposed to get these clothes?" Kale asked. "We only really have money to buy food and supplies."

Toph smirked. "We can always steal the clothes… I'm sure no one will miss them."

"If it were anyone other than the fire nation," Katara began, "Then I would strongly disagree… but seeing as the Fire Nation has pretty much taken stuff from me in the past, I'm all for it."

I knew Katara was referring to mom, but I didn't comment deciding that would only bring up more unwanted memories.

"Hey! I think I see a cave below!" Aang suddenly exclaimed, pointing down through the cloudy mist at the island underneath us. Sokka immediately pulled on Appa's reins and we lowered downward toward the ground. Katara stopped bending when she was sure the coast was clear, and the cloud around us went away. When the cloud was gone I could see more clearly.

There was a cave about sixty feet away from us, and it looked big enough to fit Appa through no problem. The ocean could still be seen from the cave, but it was far enough downhill that we were safe from even the highest tide. The cave had a few random plants and some grass near it, and I could already see some wild life in the area. A few birds, with light yellow bills, and feathers the colors of black, white, and blue, were perched on some rocks. They watched us with curious big eyes. I remembered after a moment that they were called Toucan Puffins. I'd read about them before from books my water tribe father had given me. They were really cute in person.

As soon as we landed, Sokka slid off Appa and did a quick survey to make sure no enemies were around. When the coast was clear Sokka turned and said to all of us, "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut."

We all were sliding off of Appa when Sokka said this, and I heard Toph sarcastically comment, "Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in."

Sokka stepped over to the toucan puffins perched on the large rock and pointed at them. "Hey! We're in _enemy _territory. Those are _enemy_ birds." The birds innocently stared down at all of us, and I laughed when one of the birds hopped onto my brother's head. Everyone followed my laughter while Sokka crossed his arms annoyed. Walking over to Sokka, I waved my hand near his head and the bird flew off with a squawk landing back on the rock.

"Relax," Kale said now to Sokka. "Once we get some disguises you guys will fit right in. The Fire Nation won't suspect you at all."

"Do you think anyone will recognize, Amber?" Katara asked.

Kale shook his head. "Doubt it. Unless they have her picture on billboards and walls, I don't see anyone recognizing her. They all probably think she's dead anyway."

Immediately I cringed at the thought of everyone thinking I was dead. Uncle was probably devastated in whatever prison he happened to be in.

"Good… and we're going to keep it that way," Sokka said. He then turned and began to lead the rest of us into the cave. Momo flew over and perched on Aang's shoulder as we entered the dark rocky hideout. Stepping inside, I lit a flame in my hand so we could light up the area and see. My fire bending still wasn't to its fullest abilities, but at least I could do something with it.

The cave we stepped into was empty of animals, thank goodness, and there was a long tunnel that seemed to lead into some other caves that were connected. Sokka took the lead as we stepped farther into the cave, and I could see he was scoping out the place. He stuck to the wall of the cave, almost creeping inside like a spy.

When he saw the coast was clear again, he straightened and turned around to look at all of us.

"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave after cave...after cave...after cave..." Sokka broke off at the last part, and I could tell he actually wasn't happy about this situation. Can't say I didn't blame him. It had been a long time since we'd stayed in a cave or even slept on the ground for that matter.

"Just like old times…" I said softly.

"Sokka," Katara began. "We don't need to become cave people. We just need some new clothes."

"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave," Aang added.

Toph walked over to the wall of the cave saying, "Plus...they have _real_ food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" She smashed her fist to the wall and little tiny insects hopped out of their hiding places. Momo jumped off Aang's shoulder and caught one eating it. Immediately we all cringed.

Sokka sighed in defeat. "Okay… Let's go get some new clothes."

We all decided to unpack Appa first, and when we had the sleeping bags off and the supplies in the cave, we headed out. The walk from the cave we were at to the nearest Fire Nation town was actually only about ten minutes. The sun was just reaching the middle of the sky to signify noon. When we got to the town the sun would be out, but hopefully we'd be able to get the clothes and run.

As we started to walk around the town, I began to see the houses were wooden and the people living in them didn't look very worried about the looming battle ahead. None of them probably cared though, because their side of the war wasn't expected to lose.

We stuck to the parts of the town that were least crowded, not wanting to be seen by the Fire Nation citizens. Whenever we saw guards walk by, we'd quickly go around the corner of a home to hide. Eventually we reached a building specifically designed for laundry where there were five or six lines of clothing in the backyard. They were hanging to dry, and it appeared the laundry man who was supposed to be watching the clothes was asleep in a chair by the wooden building.

We all crouched behind a large rock as we scanned the area to make sure no one would spot us. We weren't concerned about the older man knocked out in the chair. As we stared at the different types of clothing hanging up, I could tell everyone was taking their pick.

"I'm having second thoughts…" Aang began to say, realizing what we were about to do. "These clothes belong to somebody…"

Katara was already in motion, saying, "I call the silk robe!" She jumped around the rock and rushed over to a red piece of clothing hanging up. Eventually we all followed her lead and I grabbed a similar one to Katara's, though I didn't find out it what it looked like until we got back to the cave.

When we got back to the cave, we all immediately changed into our clothing. The girls and boys split up going behind our own rock formations for privacy. As I changed out of my water tribe clothing, I immediately saw what I had grabbed. The Fire Nation top was a light red silk one with a single strap that held it up on my left shoulder. It cut off above my belly button, almost like a tube top. The bottom was a darker red, but it was sort of a skirt with some pants legs beneath. The outfit covered the wound on my chest and the bandages still around my chest, but it revealed a lot of my past scars.

I assumed if someone asked about all the scars on my arms and waist, I'd just tell them I got them during my fire bending lessons. When I was finished getting dressed, I looked over at Katara and Toph's progress.

Katara had picked a similar outfit to my own, though her shirt was a little darker than mine and her skirt was longer. She took her hair out of a braid and let it hang down in its natural waves. Then she tied a small amount of it up in a bun and let two strands fall in front of her shoulders. She asked me if I wanted it done to my hair, but I shook my head and ended up putting my hair in a single ponytail.

Toph's clothing was also a darker red tube top shirt and was strapless, but she also wore a sort of shawl, which was a darker red than her shirt with a yellow stripe, and it covered her shoulders. She tied a brown belt around her waist, and she was wearing pants the same color as her shirt. We all looked Fire Nation, now that we were wearing the stolen clothes.

When we came out from our changing place, we saw the boys were already dressed. Aang was wearing a brown shirt with long sleeves and brown trousers, and over his shirt he wore a black sort of uniform that had red on the edges. He also wore a red headband to cover his arrow tattoo. He had short dark brown hair on his head from weeks of not shaving it, so his tattoo was covered completely.

Kale and Sokka were both dressed pretty much the same. They both wore long russet shirts with a lighter red collar, dark red pants, and they also had a red belt around their waist. Sokka had his hair up in a top knot while Kale kept his down.

As Toph put on some shoes knocking the bottoms of them off so she could still walk around barefoot but see, Aang looked over at Katara and I with wide eyes. "Wow! You guys look amazing!" he said.

Immediately, both Katara and I blushed at his comment.

"Oh… but you might want to take off your water tribe jewelry though," Aang said, and I could see he was sorry for having to say it.

Katara now placed her hand on the choker that was once mom's and I placed my hand on the bracelet mom had given me. We both sighed with heavy hearts knowing Aang was right. Taking off my blue water tribe bracelet, I handed it over to Katara who already took her necklace off. She walked into the cave so she could put them in her bag for safe keeping.

Looking away from where she had disappeared in the cave, I was surprised to see Kale suddenly in front of me. "Wow…" he said. "You look beautiful."

Blushing even more, I smiled saying, "Thanks… You don't look too bad yourself."

He smirked. "I'm actually glad it's not servant clothes like I used to wear. I've never wore middle class clothing before, so this is a new experience for even me."

Now I changed the subject from clothes and asked, "Are you glad to be back?"

Kale frowned a bit. "I'm actually not really sure… I was at first, but truth is I kind of feel like a stranger to this place now. I kind of lost all respect for the Fire Nation when Azula shot you with lightening six weeks ago."

Sighing, I said, "That makes two of us."

Later that night, we started to make camp and get settled. As everyone turned in for the night, I lied down on my own sleeping bag and tried to get some sleep. It was hard finding a comfortable position to lie on, seeing as my wound was still a little tender. Eventually I resulted to lying on my side and staring out the mouth of the cave. The moon was out tonight, so I saw the sky was light even in the middle of the night.

After a few hours of trying to fall asleep, I eventually gave up and got up off of my sleeping bag. Tiptoeing around everyone, I inched my way out of the cave and stepped into the night air. The air was still warm, but it was cooler than when the sun was up. There was only the sound of waves in the distance as I walked a little ways from the cave.

Walking down hill, I stepped over to the oceans water and let the liquid flow over my bare feet. The water was warm and felt good on my skin. The air was salty, and it seemed to relax me as I stared out into the dark ocean ahead of me.

As I stared at the ocean, a memory came back to me.

"_Amber! Wait up!" My six year old brother Zuko called, chasing after my five year old self as I ran along the beach. We were at our beach home on Ember Island, and Zuko and I were playing in the tideline. Mom was seated on the sand with two guards positioned behind her, as she watched Zuko and I play._

_As I raced across the sand, splashing and getting my trousers soaked in saltwater, I laughed enjoying the feel of freedom. Zuko caught up to me and grabbed me around the waist making me fall back. We both fell into the very shallow water, laughing as we were drenched. As we sat up, Zuko said, "Got you sis!" _

_Smiling widely, I said, "I let you get me Zu!"_

"_No you didn't!" He cried._

"_Yes I did!" I playfully said back._

"_No you didn't!"_

"_Did too!"_

Frowning, I turned away from the ocean hanging my head in agony. Zuko and I were once so close… what happened between the two of us?

Of course I knew what happened… I was taken away. The brother-sister bond was broken the moment Zhao snatched me up more than nine years ago.

"Amber?" a voice suddenly said, and I literally jumped when I heard the voice. Looking up in shock, I saw Aang a few feet away. My heart pounded hard at the surprise.

"Don't do that Aang! You scared me!" I said, clutching my chest as it tightened in pain.

From the moonlight, I saw Aang looked sorry. After a moment, he asked, "You can't sleep either?"

Sighing, I walked over to him taking my feet out of the warm waves. When I was back on the rocky earth I walked up to Aang saying, "Yeah… I have a lot on my mind."

Aang cocked his head to the side a bit, asking, "Does it have anything to do with Zuko?"

Immediately I looked at him with surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," he said, smiling weakly.

"Does you being awake have anything to do with my father?" I asked.

Aang frowned now and hung his head.

"Lucky guess," I said, stealing his very words.

Somehow Aang and I found ourselves seated on the rocky earth staring out at the crashing waves. As we sat and listened to the calming sound, I saw Aang looking over at me with worry. He could tell I was bottling up my emotions as much as he was.

"You know…" Aang said. "You haven't really mentioned Zuko since you woke up."

Hugging my knees to my chest, I tried not to lose my emotions. "I have nothing to say," I said with a leveled tone.

Aang seemed to not believe me, but he decided he'd open up to me first. He must've thought if he told me his feelings then I'd let out mine.

"You're right about why I'm awake… I can't stop thinking about what's to come soon," he began. "Truth is, I'm kind of scared of failing. What if I can't defeat the Fire Lord? What if I can't go into the avatar state when I really need it? What if this battle is lost and the Fire Nation wins?"

Now I said, "You don't need to be scared Aang… You'll definitely win. The way I see it, if we all have enough determination then anything is possible. And besides, you're not fighting the Fire Lord alone. It's my duty to fight beside you."

"I think I should do it alone," he said. "I know you want revenge Amber, but at the same time I don't want you to get hurt again. I think you should stay with the others when the battle begins."

Now I looked at Aang a bit annoyed, and also hurt that he didn't want my help. "This is what I want Aang. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time now. My father needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else. I'm going to help you defeat my father, and I can assure you I won't let my father hurt me again. He's going to regret ever sentencing me to die."

Aang shook his head. "See… That's the thing… All you want is revenge. I don't want you going into this fight on a rash decision. Revenge isn't always the answer."

"It's not like I'm going to kill my father, Aang. I mean even if that's what the spirits want, I'm not the murdering type. I do intend on giving him a taste of his own medicine. This is what I want so you won't be able to stop me," I said firmly, looking away from him and shutting my eyes hard.

Aang took in what I said, and I assumed he didn't know how to respond.

Tears threatened to spill from the pain inside me. It seemed like my walls were starting to crumble. With defeat, I let out the emotions I'd been holding in since I'd woken. "I'm tired of sitting back Aang… I'm tired of feeling weak! I'm tired of feeling helpless! I'm tired of feeling unwanted and betrayed by people who are supposed to care about me… by people who are supposed to protect me and want me!"

Suddenly I felt tears pour down my cheeks, and I pressed my face to my knees in agony unable to control my emotions anymore. "It's not fair! Why would he do this to me?! I thought he cared about me! I thought he wanted to protect me! He said he'd never hurt me! He was supposed to be there for me!"

"I get you're not talking about your father anymore," Aang said, and I could tell he had won. Aang had managed to break down the walls I'd tried so hard to build. The stone had crumbled around me fully.

"He promised…" I now said, and I felt my throat tighten from the emotional pain inside of me. "He promised he'd never hurt me. He said he cared about me. Why would Zuko do this to me?" More sobs escaped me, and I felt Aang place a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. "He broke his promise! I hate him! I hate him so much!"

Aang listened to these words. "You don't really mean that."

Pressing my face harder to my legs I knew Aang was right. I didn't hate Zuko… I just couldn't get over the betrayal and anger I felt toward him. If I did see him again in the near future, I knew a simple apology wouldn't mend the bond he'd broken. All the trust I had toward Zuko was gone now.

Aang let me cry for a little bit, not saying anything. After a while of finally letting my pain out, I felt my body calm and my heart slow. Trying to get a hold of myself, I eventually stopped my sobs and sniffled.

When Aang saw my crying was over, he took his hand off my shoulder and asked, "Better?"

Nodding, I did feel better. It felt good to finally cry. It felt good to let all the hurt I felt inside me pour out. "I'm sorry," I whispered, lifting my head and wiping my eyes with my hand to try and clear my vision.

"You don't have to apologize, Amber. You have a right to be upset. I would be too if I had a brother who did that to me. You trusted him, and in the end he hurt you."

Holding my head down, I let my long black hair fall over my face so I could hide my pain once more.

"If you want to know what I think though, then it's this… If Zuko's too stupid to realize how great you are, then he definitely doesn't deserve you as a sister," Aang stated.

Wiping my eyes a bit more, I said softly, "I'm not that great…"

"You took a blast of lightning for me, Amber. You're a hero!"

"Like I said before… You're family Aang," I restated. "I wasn't going to let my family get hurt."

"You're one of the kindest and most caring people I know Amber. Hopefully Zuko will see that one day..." Aang stood now, and he got ready to go back to bed. "Just know Amber, that if you ever want to talk, I'm a great listener."

Nodding, I gave him a small 'thanks'. He smiled at me, then turned and walked off back to the cave to go get some sleep. After staring out at the ocean for a few more minutes trying to push Zuko to the deepest parts of my mind, I got up and followed the path he had taken, hoping I could get some sleep too and lock the pain back away.

The next day I woke up from a dreamless sleep and noticed my eyes were a bit dry from crying last night. Luckily I was able to wipe my face with a wet rag and wash away the evidence. No one noticed or commented that it looked like I had been crying, so I assumed I'd managed to hide it.

Around lunch we all went into town again with some money. Aang hid Momo in his shirt so we could bring the little flying lemur with us. We were mainly going to grab some grub, but at the same time some of us wanted to buy a souvenir of some sort. When we got to the crowded market area where the Fire Nation citizens and guards were, I knew it was the moment of truth. Walking through the town, I was surprised when I noticed our disguises were working. No one even looked at us as we headed over to a stall. We were blending in.

A few of us scanned the stall staring at the Fire Nation objects. After scanning the items, a few of us ended up buying something to match our outfits. Katara bought a red choker with a gold charm in the middle and a few gold bands to put on her arms, while Sokka bought a golden band piece to put around his topknot. Toph also bought a golden headband to put in her hair. At first I wasn't going to buy anything, but Kale picked up a golden hair piece that had a red jeweled lily on it and placed it in my long hair that was still in a ponytail. Katara shrieked with delight at how it fit me perfectly, saying, "Great eye!" and paid the vendor quickly without even asking me if I wanted it.

As we walked away from the stall, Kale said, "It suits you really well."

Blushing, I smiled at his compliment and touched the head piece glad Kale had picked it up. "Thanks."

When we started to look for a place to eat, we left the crowded part of the market and headed to the town square. As we walked Aang said, "I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation - "Stay flamin'"!"

Kale and I both grimaced, knowing that definitely was not the right term of the century. Passing a man seated on the ground, Aang said, "Greetings, my good hotman!"

The older man seated wasn't really sure how to respond, and so he waved with uncertainty. "Uh… Hi… I guess."

Kale now grabbed Aang by the shoulder saying, "Aang… That's not how people tal-"

"I got this Kale! Don't worry," Aang said, winking back at him. Then he proceeded to say 'hello hotman' to whoever looked our way. Kale shook his head and covered his face with disbelief.

Eventually we made it to a butcher shop for some lunch and Aang offered to wait outside. I'd almost forgotten he was a vegetarian. As we went inside and got some food, we ate for about ten minutes and then left to go back to Aang. When we got outside Aang was gone.

"Oh spirits…" I muttered.

Kale sighed. "That kid just can't sit still."

"What do we do now?!" Katara cried.

Sokka seemed to think it over.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Relax guys… Twinkletoes probably ran off to explore. Let's just go back to the cave and wait for him there."

We all decided she was right and we made our way back out of the town. As we walked back the way we came, I heard someone suddenly shriek, "Did you hear! The Fire Prince is back!" Immediately my attention was caught, and I came to a stop which caused Kale to stop too since I was holding his hand.

Looking over at the two girls who were probably my age or a year older, I saw them staring at a poster on a billboard. The other girl who hadn't spoken smiled. "He's so dreamy! I never understood why the Fire Lord kicked him out in the first place."

The first girl said, "It's a shame about the princess though… He must be so devastated."

Pulling from Kale's hand, I heard him ask what was wrong, but I ignored him as I walked up to the poster. Shoving in between the two girls, who were offended by my intrusion and stomped off muttering insults, I saw on the board a fine sketch of my brother.

The sketch had a good outline of Zuko's face, the shadow around his eye to signify his scar, and his long hair done up in a topknot with a golden crown piece on it. It was a full sketch of him- from head to toe- so I could see he was wearing fine palace clothing. His lips were straight and his eyes were somewhat void of emotion. Under his picture was a caption.

_Four weeks ago Fire Prince Zuko finally returned to The Capital after three long years at sea. He successfully took down the avatar and has been named a hero. Fire Lord Ozai held a three day long celebration to welcome his son home from exile. At the party Prince Zuko was asked how he was doing over the death of his sister, Amber, who to all of the nation's shock had turned out to be alive. He refused to comment on the matter, but Princess Azula did for him. She stated to the press, "Amber's death was a painful thing for both my brother and I to watch. My sister was brainwashed by the enemy and nothing we did could bring her back to us. She may have died a traitor, but deep down I know if we had gotten through to her more she would've come home. It's with a heavy heart I wish my sister peace." The Fire Lord held a second memorial service for his daughter, whom he'd thought to be dead for nine years. We send our deepest condolences to the Fire Lord, Princess, and Prince for their loss. _

Around the poster there were other news articles. Some speaking about my Uncle being arrested and placed in prison for treason, others discussing how Ba Sing Sei was conquered. There were a few to cover both Aang's death, and my own. Then there was one that I assumed was for the gossip trend, explaining that reports showed my brother had gained a new love interest with Mai.

So Zuko was happy, huh? Well isn't that just peachy!

"Amber…" Sokka said softly, knowing what was going through my head, and it was then I noticed the others had followed me over to the board. Looking back, I saw Toph looked unsure what was going on since she couldn't read the posters. Kale seemed ready to hold me in his arms if I crumbled, and Katara stared at me with worry. They could tell I was trying hard to hold in my emotions.

"Let's just go," I said with a leveled voice, walking past them to try and take the lead. They hesitated behind me, but eventually they followed not sure what else to do. As we headed back to the cave no one spoke to me, and I was glad. I was too intent on not crying again. When we got back to the cave, I left the group once more and headed back down to the water. They let me go, knowing I wanted to be alone. For some reason the ocean calmed me. Maybe it calmed me because the sound of the waves distracted my thoughts.

Sitting down by the water, I pulled my knees to my chest. Reaching to the ground, I picked up a seashell beside me and traced my hand over the smooth white surface. A few toucan puffins were perched near me, and I could see they weren't bothered by me one bit. It was good they saw me as invisible. That's kind of what I wanted to be at the moment.

Turning the seashell in my hand, I closed my eyes trying not to think. I tried to block everything and just focus on the water hitting the rocky earth in front of me. Zuko's image kept flashing through my head though.

Why couldn't I just forget about him? Why couldn't I just find a way to not care? Why did I care?

Of course, I knew why… Because deep down past all the anger I felt toward him, Zuko was still my brother and that would never change.

"Amber…" Kale suddenly said. He surprised me at first, but I calmed. Immediately I looked back down at the seashell trying not to shed anymore tears. I was tired of crying. He sat beside me with a hard sigh, and I immediately felt his warmth as his arm touched my arm. "You know… you have a right to be angry. You don't have to hide it."

Clutching the seashell tighter in my hand I felt its sharp edges dig into my skin. "I'm not," I lied, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I can read you. When you shut down like this, I know it's because you're angry. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to be hurt. You don't have to hide it from us though," Kale said. "We're all here for you. We know you're hurting over your brother's betrayal, and we want to help you."

"Help me…? I don't think you can help me with this one Kale," I whispered.

Kale sighed and fell silent for a moment. Then he said, "I hate seeing you like this… I really wish there was something I could do to make it better. I promise you though, that when I see Zuko again I'm going to give him a taste of his own medicine."

His words made me grimace as another memory came to my mind.

"_Zuko!" I exclaimed, racing over to my six year old brother who was feeding the turtle ducks floating in the palace pond. Rushing over, I tackled him and we both fell to the grass as I hugged him._

"_Amber! Don't just jump on me like that!" Zuko scolded, shoving me off and sitting up. "You scared me!"_

_Now I pouted, and I hung my head in shame. "Sorry… I just wanted to play. Azula won't play with me, so I thought you would."_

_Zuko was about to argue, but after he looked at the pout on my face he sighed. "Fine… What do you want to do?"_

_Grinning, I said, "Let's skip rocks! Then we can play tag! And then after we can go mess with Azula!"_

"_Whoa! Slow down," Zuko said. "Let's just start with the rocks before we plan the rest of the day."_

"_Okay!" I exclaimed, and then jumped up to go find some smooth rocks to skip in the pond._

Throwing the shell back on the rocky ground, I responded to Kale's previous comment about Zuko getting what he deserved. "That's just it Kale… I don't want revenge on my brother. No matter how much I want to pound his face in the dirt right now, when the time comes for me to face him I'm not going to hurt him. I refuse to. No matter how much he hurt me, he's still my brother."

I paused for a moment, trying to gather what I wanted so say next. When I figured it out, I continued. "I think the one thing that's killing me the most right now though, is that after everything Zuko went through he still trusts dad. He went back to the man who burned and banished him, and now Zuko acts like everything that happened to him in the past never actually happened. He's living the royal life he always wanted, but it just seems so fake to me. Almost like dad's planned Zuko's happiness out. Almost like dad's trying to regain Zuko's trust to win him over."

"You think your dad's scared Zuko might fight against him?" Kale asked, surprised

Pulling my knees closer to my chest, I nodded. "I have a feeling… From what I'm seeing, the party, the recognition, and the honor given to Zuko is just a show. Dad's playing him, because he knows that Zuko is a strong ally to have. He's trying to gain Zuko's trust again, so Zuko doesn't think twice about switching sides and stopping this war."

"You think Zuko would switch sides?" Kale asked.

Frowning, I said, "He almost did… Now he may never, if dad keeps blinding him with gifts and luxury."

Kale suddenly wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. Resting my head now on his shoulder, I shut my eyes just listening to the waves, trying to push Zuko farther into the depths of my mind. We sat there for almost an hour, listening to the peaceful sounds around us.

When Kale and I got back to the others eventually, we were utterly bewildered to see Aang was back. When he saw us he waved and quickly explained to us that he went to school. At first I couldn't take him seriously, but when I saw he wasn't joking my eyes widened.

"School! Are you crazy?!" I cried. "We're trying to stay low, and you're off learning in a facility full of Fire Nation citizens!"

Aang shrugged. "It's a good way for me to learn the new age Fire Nation customs… and besides… No one suspects me." Aang then turned to Sokka and Katara. "So will you guys please go as my parents? The principle said he's not letting me back unless he speaks to you."

Now I was confused. Kale however laughed, and I saw he was amused. "You got in trouble on your first day? That's great Aang!"

In the end Sokka put on a fake mustache and beard made out of Appa's fur, while Katara put her hair up in two buns and stuffed a blanket under a long shirt she borrowed from Sokka to look pregnant. They definitely did look the parent part I guess.

As the two _parents _and Aang went away to go talk to Aang's 'new principle', Toph, Kale, and I stayed behind with Momo and Appa.

We waited for what seemed like almost an hour until they came back looking sort of annoyed. Katara had already ripped her disguise off and put her hair back up.

Sokka snapped at Aang still playing the father role, "That settles it. No more school for you young man!" He also stroked his beard getting too much into his character.

Aang now complained. "I'm not ready to leave. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time."

Toph laughed mockingly at Sokka who looked annoyed.

"Listen, guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."

At first I wasn't really sure where Aang was going with this. Instead of worrying about these kids, I felt we needed to worry more about the war.

"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked.

Depraved fire monsters? Kale and I both took in this insult, and then we said at the same time, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Sokka jumped and looked at us with surprise, then realization hit him and he smiled apologetically. "Sorry… Should really watch what I say."

Aang continued so he could finish what he was saying. "I'm gonna throw them..." he began, and did a strange little dance. "...a secret dance party!"

All of our jaws dropped.

Sokka was the first to recover, and he was still playing the father character. "Go to your room!"

Aang somehow, in some strange way, managed to get us to agree to his little dance party after a few hours of talking it over. At first we were greatly against it, but after a while of Aang giving us sad eyes and pleading stares, we all gave in.

The next day Aang went back to school to spread the word while we prepared the cave for the dance party. Somehow we gathered some funds and managed to buy some candles to put in the cave and some food for the guests. As we placed candles around the cave which we lit with a match instead of my purple fire, and Toph used earth bending to make a table for the food and a platform for the band that was supposed to come, I knew this wasn't going to end well.

We were inviting the Fire Nation here, and bringing them right to us. I admit I felt bad for these kids not getting to have fun, but at the same time we should've been to the next town by now.

Aang returned suddenly, a grin on his face. Sokka noticed he was back and said to him, "I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so... silly."

Aang beamed. "Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork."

"In other words, a dance party," Kale muttered.

Night eventually came and it was time for the guests to roll in. Appa sadly had to go a little ways back in the cave, and I felt kind of bad for the poor guy. When he was out of view, Aang turned to all of us with excited eyes.

Well… I guess if Aang was excited about this, then I needed to be too.

Eventually Toph felt vibrations in the earth and announced that the group was coming. The kids still wearing their uniforms all piled into the cave looking around not sure what to think. Aang led a group of five kids with Sungi Horns and other instruments onto the stone platform so they could start playing. As music started up in the cave, I could tell all the kids weren't sure what to do.

Aang quickly jumped in front of the musicians announcing to everyone, "Welcome to the party guys. May I introduce, the Flamey-os!" He gestured toward the musicians, and then muttered something under his breath I couldn't read. No one made a move to dance.

"Now what do we do?" A thin kid asked, looking at his friends with uncertainty.

"This is when you dance!" Aang exclaimed.

There were a few comments in the crowd as kids were still really unsure.

"Oh, boy. Listen, guys...dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you!"

The same kid said again, "Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon. But we don't do that here."

Kuzon? Aang was using his old friends name… That was actually pretty clever.

"Sure you do!" Aang exclaimed. "You have for generations. It just so happens that I know several classic fire nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as "The Phoenix Flight"." He suddenly did a sort of squat and kicked his legs in front of him while he held his arms behind him like wings.

The kids were all hooked now.

"And this was the "Camelephant Strut"." Aang exclaimed, standing straight now and doing a few hops on his feet. He then summersaulted toward two girls in a fluid motion, and the girls giggled as he summersaulted back. As Aang showed them a few more dance moves, I saw the kids were smiling now.

Aang then walked up to a girl saying, "And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Sei." He started to dance with the girl, and I looked back to see Katara frowning a bit from where she sat. Was that jealousy I sensed from my sister?

The crowd started to dance then, and Aang beamed with pleasure. Walking back over to us, he said, "See! They're already having a blast."

Smirking, I walked over to Aang and whispered, "I bet you Katara would have fun if you asked her to dance with you." Aang blushed now, and I saw him take in what I said.

"Your right!" Aang exclaimed, and then he practically ran over to Katara who was seated on a rock like bench a little ways away. As Aang practically dragged Katara onto the dance floor, I smiled when I saw Katara was eventually having a lot of fun. They danced for a few minutes, and I watched glad to see the two together. They made a great couple.

Kale suddenly grabbed my hand and I looked at him in surprise. "Let's show them how real Fire Nation kids dance," he said.

"What? Wait!" I cried as Kale pulled me out onto the dance floor. Before I could tell him I had no clue how to dance, he took my hand up above my head and spun me underneath our arms causing me to twist and stumble. When I did stumble Kale caught me around the waist and suddenly we were spinning through the cave. It felt like I was flying as Kale danced with me, and I laughed enjoying the moment so much. All thoughts about Zuko, the war, and my father left me as I enjoyed the thrill of the dance.

When we finished dancing, I was dizzy and holding onto Kale for support as I laughed. He was laughing too as he walked me back over to the others.

Sokka had his arms crossed annoyed, and it was then I realized he was still wearing his beard and mustache. "Whatever happened to first asking a brother permission before dancing with his sisters?"

"That's not a thing," Toph yelled over the music.

"Well it should be," Sokka muttered. "How'd you learn to dance like that anyway?"

Kale smirked. "You pick up a few things in a tea shop."

Suddenly the music cut off and gasps were heard through the cave. We all looked over to see an older Fire Nation man, and two fire nation soldiers at the entrance to the cave. One of the soldiers was a woman, and none of the adults looked happy.

Looked like the party was over.

The old man suddenly pointed at Aang saying, "He's the one we want! The boy with the headband!"

Aang looked alarmed, and he said, "Uh oh…"

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," I said.

Aang dashed into the crowd then, and the soldiers started shoving kids away to find Aang. To my surprise all the kids took their belts off their waists and tied them around their foreheads, giving us some cover. As the kids confused the soldiers, we split to the back of the cave where Appa was. Toph used earth bending to create a back entrance to escape through, and we all climbed onto Appa soaring out of the cave. We'd packed up all the supplies already, so we were ready to go anyway.

As we flew away, I sighed with relief glad we'd escaped. That was a big risk, but I do admit it had been fun.

"We're safe, Sokka. You can take off the moustache, now," Katara said.

Sokka shook his head smugly. "Oh, no, I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin." Smirking now, I leaned forward and grabbed the mustache tearing it off. He yelped as it pulled on his skin, and then he rubbed the red above his lip glaring at me. "Hey!" he whined.

Kale laughed, saying, "I think he looked better with it on."

Sokka snatched the mustache from my hand and attempted to put it back on. It fell off again and I smirked.

"Way to go, Dancypants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free," Toph congratulated Aang.

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. It was just a dance party, that's all."

Katara smiled. "Well, that was some dance party, Aang." She leaned over then and kissed Aang on the cheek. He blushed beat red. Now I smirked, glad to see Aang and Katara's feelings toward each other were becoming more visible.

Sokka (who had managed to put his mustache back on, though it was a bit crooked) clapped slowly saying, "Flamey-o, sir. Flame-ee-o."

We all laughed as we flew farther into the night sky.

**Third Person POV**

It was a little past midnight. A hooded figure walked down a path that led through an industrial area in the Fire Nation Capital. There were large steel buildings towering around him, and smoke stacks filled the night sky. The hooded figure came to a stop at some railroad tracks that seemed to intersect and go four different ways. Pulling his hood off, it could be seen to be Prince Zuko. He looked around with cautious golden eyes, searching for something or someone. His eyes were tired, and you could also tell they were guarded.

A large person suddenly came out of the dark shadow of a building. From the light of the moon, he appeared perhaps in his late thirties but had to be almost eleven feet tall. He wore one regular boot on one foot, and a steal boot on the other. On his forehead, there was a tattoo of a third eye.

"You sure you weren't followed?" Zuko asked, narrowing his eyes at the man who stared down at him annoyed. Zuko assumed his silence was a yes. "I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets." He stared at the man now knowing this was the moment he'd feared. He didn't want to show any sign of weakness with what he was about to say. "I know the avatar's alive. My sister sacrificed herself to save him, and I know she died in his place. She died, and he lived." Saying the words only made his voice shake. "I want you to find the Avatar… and end him. You'll be paid handsomely for it when the job is done."

The man nodded, his eyes staring down at the boy who was almost half his height. He turned sharply and disappeared back into the dark to go fulfill his orders.

As soon as Zuko was left alone, the young prince frowned, knowing what he was doing was wrong. If his father found out the avatar was alive though, then Zuko would lose his throne and his honor again.

As Zuko turned and began to head back toward the palace, he pulled his hood back over his head. His mind was racing though as he walked down the empty street. Images of his sister's death flashed through his mind.

It had all happened so fast six weeks ago. Azula had charged her hands and shot lightning at the avatar as soon as he went into the avatar state. It struck him for only a split second, but then it was suddenly cut off as Amber ran out of nowhere into the crossfire. His sister screamed bloody murder as the lightening coursed through her body attacking her heart. She dropped to the ground and convulsed, and all Zuko could do was watch the scene in terror as his sister died. Then a wave had come out of nowhere and knocked both him and Azula off their feet.

When he managed to look up from where he was sprawled on the ground soaked and sore, he saw Kale was holding onto Amber's limp motionless body with tears in his eyes. He was saying something to her, but from what Zuko could see her eyes were shut and she wasn't responding. Azula was on her feet then, and so were a bunch of Dai Li agents. They started to advance on Amber, Kale, the unconscious avatar, and his water bender friend whose name Zuko remembered to be Katara. Before they could get close, Zuko's uncle fell in between the two sides from out of nowhere and began to fire flames at the Dai Li and Azula.

"_Go! Get them out of here!"_ Iroh had ordered Kale and the water bender.

Zuko stood now and watched in a zombie like state as Kale picked up Amber in his arms and turned to run over to where the water bender was dragging the avatar toward a waterfall. As the water bender made an ice platform, her and Kale managed to drag and carry the two unconscious kids on it. Then the water bender sent them upward along the waterfall and they disappeared through the crystal cavern ceiling above.

Zuko's uncle surrendered when the kids were to safety, and the Dai Li trapped him in some earth. As Iroh was imprisoned, he looked at Zuko with disappointment. _"So you've chosen your path Zuko," _his uncle had said with a leveled tone. Tears were pouring from the old man's eyes. _"Amber's probably dead now… Do you even care?" _Zuko had hung his head to hide his pain. _"She trusted you… And you let her down. I hope it was worth it."_

Azula had said something to try and shut the old man up, but Iroh kept talking. _"A beautiful lily has now withered and turned to dust, but it will never be forgotten."_ Zuko knew the lily was Amber, and the dust symbolized her death. The proverb only made Zuko shut his eyes tightly as pain shot through him.

Azula had snapped then, _"Enough of your proverbs old man! I'm going to turn you into dust in a minute if you don't shut up!" _

Leaving his memories, Zuko stopped walking down the empty industrial street. Warm tears flowed down his face as his sister's scream still pierced through him. His sister was dead. This time she was dead for good. There was no coming back like she did before. She wasn't taken this time. She was killed. He'd seen it happen with his own two eyes.

Amber was dead, and he knew it was his fault. He was supposed to protect her, and to be by her side. Instead all he had cared about was honor. He'd lost one of the most important things in his life, because he was too stupid to choose the right path.

With fury he turned and smashed his fist into the steel building beside him. It hurt his hand like crazy but he didn't care. Falling to his knees, his body shook as he silently cried for his sister's death.

"Amber… I'm so sorry… I'm such a fool…"

He shut his eyes tightly as he felt agony toward his loss. He regretted it. He regretted it all so much. So then why was he still trying to hurt people? Why was he sending an assassin to kill the avatar? Why was he endangering the very people Amber had loved?

Zuko had no answer, as he cried on the empty dark street, letting all the pain, guilt, and regret escape him.

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><p><strong>AN: Alright! So don't get mad at me for adding Zuko's little thing at the end. I just really thought it would be cool to change up the meeting with Combustion Man a little bit and to show you all what's going through Zuko's head at the moment. Hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you thought! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


	4. Mutated Fish

**A/N: This chapter is "The Painted Lady". I hope you like it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

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><p><strong>Amber POV<strong>

Sitting against the side of the giant saddle we were on, I held my Fire Nation bracelet in my hand fingering the flame symbols with boredom. It had been a day since we'd escaped the Fire Nation soldiers back at the dance party, and now we were traveling yet again toward our original destination. After morning came and the sun came out, we decided flying through the air would give our cover away, and so we found a river to travel on.

As we floated down the river on Appa, Kale lied back staring up at the sky, Toph had her eyes closed as if she were trying to nap, Katara sat and stared at the forest area beside us, Sokka attempted to try and fish, and Aang was in the water playing around. Momo perched on the side of the saddle watching his owner swim in the water with curious eyes.

"Are you sure no one will spot us on this river?" I asked.

Kale glanced over at me with a smile. "I'm positive. No one lives along this river. Besides, even if someone does their probably just fishermen and wouldn't think twice about turning us in."

Sokka smirked from where he fished. "See Amber… No need to worry."

Placing my bracelet back on, I said, "It's not that I'm worried… It's just that Appa's a really big giant flying- bison, and we're out in the daylight where anyone can spot us."

"Chill out Princess. You're starting to sound worse than Sugar Queen with your worries," Toph said. She was referring to Katara, who looked at Toph annoyed by the nickname she hated.

"I just don't understand why we're traveling during the day. I feel like we'd cover a lot more ground at night," I said.

Sokka shook his head. "Nope… That doesn't fit in the schedule, Amber."

I scowled. Sokka's schedule was starting to annoy me. About three hours ago he wrote out in ink pen an actual schedule to follow for the next few weeks. Our mornings would start with some breakfast right at dawn, and then we'd pack up the supplies and leave. Before noon we'd be allowed only one potty break, and then around lunchtime we only had thirty minutes to eat and do other things. In the evening, Sokka wrote, that we'd get one more potty break before dinner. By dinner we'd find a cave to stay in and turn in for the night. He had our whole day planned, step by step. Truthfully, I itched to burn the paper. I hated schedules.

Aang suddenly hopped back on Appa, and it was then I noticed he was covered in some gross goopy looking water. It almost looked like the water was mixed with an oil of some kind. "Hey guys… I think this river is polluted."

Kale was seated up now and looked at Aang with his arms crossed. "Probably from a factory nearby… pollution happens a lot in these parts of the Fire Nation."

Aang suddenly used air bending to get the water off and we were all hit in the process. I gasped at the wet on me and cringed at the gross liquid rolling down my face. Aang noticed he'd hit us, and he used air bending once more to blow the polluted water off our skin. Katara and Toph's hair were disheveled from the blast, so I was thankful to have had mine in a ponytail.

Sokka commented on Aang's observation, pulling his fishing hook out of the water and holding it in front of his face. "Well, that explains why I can't catch a fish around here. Because normally my fishing skills are... off the hook! Get it? Like a fishing hook?"

We all stared at him unsure what to say. He looked a bit surprised that none of us actually laughed at his joke.

Toph smiled. "Too bad your skills aren't _on_ the hook."

We all laughed then. Sokka scowled but put his fishing pole away knowing Toph was right. We weren't getting anywhere with fishing. We'd have to buy food elsewhere.

"It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food," Katara began. Sokka had turned to us fully and was unrolling the long scroll he had written out earlier. It was long enough to stretch a good three feet. Katara rolled her eyes. "Assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master schedule."

Sokka looked down his schedule inquisitively. "Hm...it's doable. But that means only two potty breaks today!"

Kale pulled the map out then, and he and Katara looked it over. Kale pointed to where we were, and I saw Katara smile. She said, "Looks like there's a small village named Jang Hui up ahead. I'm sure there's food there."

We all decided to head that way, and when we got farther down the river we saw what Katara had been pointing out. A village stood in the distance, and just from what I could see it was surrounded by the polluted water. Appa flew out of the gunk then and landed on a flat rocky surface. Katara used water bending to get the gunk off of Appa's fur. When she was done, we managed to find a spot to hide Appa behind some big rock formations jutting out of the ground.

Making our way down the path that led to the village, I noticed there were more trees in this area than there were in the last place we'd been to. It was almost like we were traveling through a jungle like area of sorts. The earth was still rocky though, and the air felt even warmer. Reaching the edge of the river where the green and brown colored water lapped onto the rocks, we saw with amazement that the village was actually an island of its own, built in the middle of the river.

"I don't feel anything. Where is this village?" Toph asked.

Sokka looked a bit annoyed. "It's in the middle of the river! How are we supposed to get there?"

"I can help yah," a voice suddenly said, and we all turned in surprise to see an older man perhaps in his mid-fifties. He wore a vest with no shirt underneath, and trousers with holes in them. He also had a strange looking red and yellow hat on his head. His hair was white, and so was his pointed beard. He stood by a boat staring at us with excited eyes. "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"

Kale quickly came up with an answer. "We're from the Northern Earth Kingdom colony."

He stared at all of us with surprise, probably because none of us (except for me and Kale) really looked Fire Nation to his eye. He passed it off though and said, "Wow... colonials! Hop on; I'll give you a ride into town." He hopped on the wooden boat beside him, and after hesitating for a moment we all followed.

As the man named Dock began to row us toward the Fire Nation fishing village, we all sat in the boat and stared down at the water disgusted. It was worse in this area of the river, and from the looks of it there were dead fish beneath. It was a sad sight to see.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked.

Dock looked a little sad. "Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in. Army makes their metal there." He pointed across the river to a giant steel wall that stretched almost thirty feet high. Behind it I could see steam from a factory. "Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."

"That's terrible," I said, unable to believe the Fire Nation could do this to its very own river. It was kind of sickening.

Dock hung his head as he continued to row. "It is sad, I admit, but we have to support the army as much as we can."

Scowling, I said, "So while the army poisons your water, you all can continue to praise the ground they walk on… Seems like a fair deal to me."

Aang elbowed me in the side to shut me up, but I ignored him. It seemed like my words had actually upset Dock, but for the better. Dock was thinking about what I said, and I could tell he wished my words weren't true.

When we finally reached the fishing village, we got off the boat and started to walk off. Aang thanked Dock as we walked away. Walking across the moldy wooden boards of the Fire Nation village we were at, I saw a few boards were missing creating gaps on the wooden dock. The whole village was built on a wooden platform, and I knew if the water continued to pollute the area and wear at the wood, the village would probably crash into the water soon.

As we walked past the villagers, I was horrified at how ill and depressed they looked. Some of them looked like they hadn't eaten a good meal in weeks, and others had skin that just didn't look the right color. The water was killing these people, the fire nation was starving them, and I wished more than anything I could do something to help.

My eyes shot over to the factory not too far away. How easy would it be to set the place on fire?

"This is awful…" Kale said, drawing my attention back to the group as we walked by some busted homes with no roofs, or some with no walls. It was a terrible sight, seeing all these people suffer. Even if they were the enemy, they were being hurt by my father as well. "Does nobody care in the Fire Nation anymore? When did we stop treating people like human beings?"

Sighing, I took his hand to comfort him. He smiled weakly at me and tightened his own hand around mine. I knew Kale was upset by all of this. This was his home, and from what he was seeing, my father was destroying it with the war. There's no telling how many people died from starvation and disease in this place.

"We have to do something to help," Katara suddenly said, having heard Kale's words.

Sokka stopped walking and turned to face her. The rest of us stopped too. "No, we can't waste our time here!" Sokka snapped. "We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own!"

I winced a bit at Sokka's words. That was a bit harsh, even for him.

"These people are starving, but you turn your back on them?! How can you be so cold and heartless?" Katara cried.

Sokka stood his ground. "I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic! We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!"

Toph immediately slammed her hand onto Sokka's mouth saying, "Hey, loudmouth! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about_ taking out the Fire Lord._"

Sokka shoved Toph's hand away, and then looked at Katara again with hard eyes. "Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first."

Katara sighed, hanging her head in defeat. "I guess so."

"Let's just get what we need and leave," Aang spoke up, and he once more led us through the small village. Eventually we reached the one stall in the whole village that sold food. When we got up to the stall we saw the vegetables and fruit were rotted and there were some funky looking fish. Then to even more of our surprise, the shop keeper was the same man from before.

"Hey Dock, you work here too?" Sokka asked.

Dock smiled. "I'm not dock, I'm Xu. Dock's my older brother."

What?

Staring at the man who clearly was Dock, I was a bit surprised at how serious he was being. He really believed that he was both people.

"But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat," Aang said, pointing out that Dock was now wearing a more orange tinted hat.

The man didn't seem fazed. "Dock works on the docks, that's why they call him "Dock", and I work in the shop, that's why they call me "Xu"."

"What? What does Xu have to do with a shop?" I asked.

The man shrugged. "Beats me…" Then he gestured to his merchandise. "What can I getcha? Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy three fish, I'll throw in a clam for free."

Kale and Sokka both pressed down on a clam on the table. The clam spewed out some funky looking green gook. We all immediately grimaced.

"Um… We'll just take the fish," I said to the man.

Sokka agreed, and then paid the man for three weird looking fish. Katara took them cringing at the weird mutations they had. I think one even had a third eye.

Sokka then said, "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?"

Dock nodded, and then ducked behind the counter. A few seconds later he emerged and was wearing the same hat as before. "Hey, colonials. My brother says you need a lift."

I slapped my forehead in disbelief, while Kale shook his head. Toph rolled her eyes, Katara and Aang looked confused, and Sokka just looked annoyed. As Dock began to lead us back to the dock, we were just walking back the way we came when a kid no older than seven ran up to us.

The kid was very skinny, and he didn't have a shirt. His trousers were stained by the polluted water and his hair was tangled and messy. His skin was stained with dirt, mud, and grime. He looked up at Katara with pleading eyes. "Can you spare some food?"

Katara immediately felt for this boy and handed him one of the three fish. "I wish I could spare more," she said. We watched as the boy thanked her and ran across the wooden platform into a home that didn't have walls, just wooden beams holding the roof up. A lady lied inside, and I could tell from the distance she was deathly ill.

"Come on," Kale said, taking my arm gently and leading me away from the child and woman. With a heavy heart, I followed.

When we got back to the other side of the river, we thanked Dock once again, and then we returned to where we had left Appa behind the large rocks. Appa looked happy to see us, and so did Momo who had stayed with the giant flying bison. Sokka climbed onto Appa's saddle, grabbed his scroll, and then slid back off. Walking back over to the group, he said, "Let's make camp here. We'll head out early tomorrow morning."

"I still say we travel at night," I said.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Don't start that again, Amber. Remember the schedule."

Scowling, I crossed my arms annoyed. His schedule was going to be on fire if he didn't watch it.

Later we started to work on some supper. Katara and Toph used their bending to clean out some water so it could be drinkable and not deadly. As Katara started to boil some water with a fire I'd managed to light, we all sat on the ground still feeling really bad for the villagers.

Sokka tried not to dwell on it too much and scanned over his schedule. "Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track."

Toph said with a note of sarcasm, "Finagle away, O schedule master."

Sokka narrowed his eyes at her, and then looked back at his schedule. "Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day."

"Forty-three minutes?" Katara asked, bewildered by the exact number.

Kale muttered to me, "Your brother takes this way too seriously."

"I heard that, Kale," Sokka snapped. Then he looked at us with all seriousness. "Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse - which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes. And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"

No pressure at all…

"Well… I'm not waking up early," Toph protested.

Sokka thoughtfully said, "Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks."

Everyone protested to that one.

"I got it, how's this?! From now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the same time."

"Don't we already do that?" I asked.

Sokka took in what I said, and I saw he realized I was right. "Anyway, no matter what we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning."

We all knew he was right, and so that night we went to sleep with heavy hearts. The villagers were suffering, but we did have to focus on the mission at hand. Maybe after we dethroned my father, I could help tare down this factory and clean this river.

When I woke up in the morning, it was because Sokka was shouting in my ear. "Wakey wakey, Sunshine!"

Groaning, I pulled my covers over my head just wanting to sink back into oblivion. Truth was, I had a nightmare last night. It definitely wasn't a pleasant one either. In my nightmare I was back in the crystal caverns where I'd originally been shot. Only this time it wasn't Azula who shot the lightning at me, but my older brother Zuko. When he shot the lightning at me, I saw nothing but hate from his face. He smiled as he watched me scream and fall to the ground, saying to me, _"You only get in my way." _

Hearing my brother say those words to me in my dream made me want to crawl in a hole and hide away from the world. Were those feelings how Zuko had truly felt in real life? I mean there had been many moments in the past where I'd tried to stop Zuko from capturing Aang. Had he ever felt like all I was doing was getting in his way?

Was Zuko glad to have me out of his life?

Immediately I wondered what my brother was doing at this very moment. I could only picture him walking around the palace, servants bowing to him and waiting on his every need. I could picture Mai trailing beside him, both their hands interlocked as they went about living the life of luxury and royalty while the war raged miles away. I could picture my sister Azula grinning madly at my brother's happiness, glad she had gained my brother's trust and turned him against me.

Immediately I pulled the blanket tighter around me, just wanting to sink away from the world. All I wanted to do was find my hole and crawl in.

"Amber! I'm serious! We have to stick to the schedule," Sokka ordered, and suddenly he grabbed the blanket yanking it away from my grip. The rising sun immediately blinded me, and I winced at the change of light. When I opened my eyes, I saw Sokka was still standing over me, waiting for me to move.

Groggily, I sat up just to make my brother happy. He looked like he'd won a battle as he walked away from me. The others were up too, and Toph looked just as annoyed as I felt. Aang and Kale were both folding up their own sleeping bags, wanting to make Sokka happy. Katara on the other hand, was over by Appa. The giant flying bison let out a groan as if he were hurting.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Aang suddenly asked, walking over to where she stood by Appa. The poor bison looked sick from something.

"I think Appa's sick," Katara said, patting the fur of the bison who lied down with his eyes closed.

"What! Appa's sick? That's awful!" Sokka cried.

Kale smiled. "Aw… Sokka. You do care."

My brother looked annoyed. "Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now." We all shot a disapproving glance at him. He realized what he'd said, and he rushed up to Appa patting him to cover his tracks. "And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."

"He must've gotten sick from the polluted water," Toph said.

Aang looked worried as he walked up to his best friend. "He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?" Aang suddenly forced Appa's mouth open with his hands and gasped at what he saw. Appa's big giant tongue was a dark purple tint, like someone had thrown colored ink on it. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?"

My sister had this odd look in her eye as she said, "It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town."

As the others went to prepare to head back to the fishing village in the middle of the river, I saw Katara sigh with relief. Walking over to her with my arms crossed, I knew she had something to do with Appa's sudden illness.

"What did you do to Appa?"

Katara was amazed at my accusation, but when she realized I'd caught her, she hung her head in guilt. "I needed more time… He's okay. I just overfed him a little last night with some purple berries."

"You what?!" I cried, amazed my sister would do such a thing. Slapping a hand on my face, I shook my head in disbelief.

"Please, Amber. I'm trying to help these people… I just need more time," my sister defended.

"So stuffing Appa to the point where he's sick... That's your idea of getting more time."

"Please don't say anything Amber… Please!"

Her begging was a little over the top, but I gave in knowing Katara was trying to help this village. "Fine… I can see you're doing this for a good cause. No more feeding Appa though! Don't drag any more poor innocent creatures into your plan."

My sister nodded, and I could tell she felt bad for pretty much making Appa sick.

"Hey! You two coming?" Kale asked, suddenly walking over to my sister and I. "We're heading out to find some medicine and herbs."

We both nodded and followed him as he led us to the others. When we got to Sokka, Toph, and Aang, we made our way back down to the polluted water. Dock was back with his boat like before, and I found it very convenient that he always seemed to be there when we needed a ride. He rowed us over to the village again, and when we docked we all stepped onto the wooden platform with surprise.

The village was filled with activity. Men, women, and children all were gathered on the docks chatting up a storm. Children laughed and ran by us as they played tag on the wooden platform. Smiles rested on many of the villagers faces as they chattered amongst one another, or walked their merry way along the village.

As we headed through the village back to Dock's stand to ask about medicine, I saw my sister was trying hard to resist the urge to smile.

"You healed these people, didn't you?" I asked softly, so only Katara would hear.

"No… I brought them food. But that's a good idea."

I was upset with her for making Appa sick, but I was proud of her for her good deed. She was a hero in a way, helping these people even when Sokka told her to not bother.

Then a thought crossed me. Where had she gotten the food?

I had a bad feeling it was from the factory nearby.

When we got to the stand, we found Dock or as he was now known as by his hat, _Xu. _He smiled when we approached, and as we got closer I saw weird wooden figures on his stand. They looked like a young woman, and they had red marks on the carvings arms and face.

"Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?" My brother asked, playing along with the _Xu _name thing Dock had going on.

"Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person...the Painted Lady." Dock seemed so ecstatic over this news.

"The Painted who now?" My sister asked, surprised they thought it was a spirit doing these good deeds.

He picked up a wooden figure and held it out toward us. "The Painted Lady. She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now." His mind seemed to go off into a far place as he imagined the spirit who was actually my sister.

"See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them." Sokka said to us. He then turned back to Dock. "All we need is medicine for our sick friend."

Dock frowned and put the statue down. "Medicine? Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village." He sounded so sad admitting it.

Katara frowned. "Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest."

Sokka sighed knowing she was right. He turned to Dock asking, "You got any more food to sale?"

Dock instantly grinned and took up two mutated fish in his hand. One of the fish actually had two heads which made me gag. "Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?"

Sokka seemed to actually ponder over it. Then he grinned. "Two-headed!" He took the fish paying Dock for it. When he turned to us we all grimaced at his insane purchase. "What? You get more for your money that way."

Later that night we all turned in once more. Appa was starting to feel better, but I had a feeling he still wouldn't be up to flying the next day. Appa being sick was starting to make Sokka panic about not making it in time for the invasion. Kale kept reassuring him that we had plenty of time and weren't actually that far from the meeting point. Toph told us all to chill and said this would be a perfect time to meditate on our thoughts. I began to wonder if she was drinking the polluted water.

As we all turned in that night, I was just starting to go to a peaceful place. Someone shook my shoulder though waking me up. Groggily, I looked through the dark air to see by the light of the moon Aang looking down at me.

"Aang… What are you doing? It's like two in the morning," I said with exhaustion.

He seemed hesitant, but finally he gathered the courage to ask. "Can you teach me fire bending?"

He took me a bit off guard by his question. "Now?" I asked, though it was more of a complaint as I placed my arm over my face just wanting to go back to sleep. I wasn't having any nightmares, so it was the perfect chance to catch up on some rest.

I assumed Aang was giving me the biggest pleading eyes he could, even though I couldn't see them. "It doesn't have to be now. I was thinking tomorrow night, after everyone goes to sleep. Please Amber… I know I originally said I never wanted to fire bend again, but I'm wondering if maybe I should at least learn. I need to at the most know how to block fire without getting burned."

Sighing, I took my arm away from my face. Looking back up at him, I said softly, "Fine… We start practice tomorrow night. Now go back to sleep."

Aang must've been thrilled. "Thank you, Amber! It means a lot to me."

Rolling over, I pulled my blanket tighter around me. "No problem… Now go. Sleep."

Aang silently left me to go back to sleep, but I knew he was thrilled I'd agreed to teach him. He owed me big time.

The next morning we went to the village again. Appa still wasn't up for flying, so we had nothing better to do. When we got onto the village platform, we saw the villagers were ten times happier than yesterday. They had even built a wooden statue in the center of the village to honor The Painted Lady. There were villagers dancing around, while others were patting each other on the back with excitement. The boy who we'd given the fish to two days ago, walked by us as we headed into the village, and he bounced up and down as his perfectly healthy mother walked beside him.

So Katara had come back and healed these people last night. I was happy she had, but at the same time I had a feeling something bad was going to come out of this.

Reaching the food stand of the village, we saw Dock was standing behind it and the hat he wore showed he was Dock. He was polishing one of the painted lady stone carvings. It had turned from wood carvings to stone carvings overnight. I could tell people were taking this Painted Lady thing very seriously.

"Hey Dock… Is Xu around?" Sokka asked.

"Let me check!" Dock placed the figure back on the stall, then ran around ducking behind. When he emerged again he was wearing a different hat so he was Xu again. "Hey there! Back again, are ya?

Toph answered for us, "We need more food. Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better."

Dock smiled. "Oh, well, that's too bad. Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night, and heal your friend."

"And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-along," Sokka said skeptically. He obviously didn't believe in this spirit mumbo jumbo.

Dock seemed oblivious to the sarcasm. "Yeah, maybe! You know, last night she visited us again. Healed most of our sick folks."

Aang looked around at the elated villagers with question. "Is that why this place seems so festive?"

"Yep, it's all because of the Painted Lady!"

My sister seemed uplifted by this man's excitement.

We paid for some more fish which were just as mutated as the ones we bought yesterday. Then we turned and started to head back to the dock where I had no doubt Dock would be waiting for us to give us a lift. I wondered who watched the shop while Dock was busy rowing us through the polluted water.

"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady? I mean... spirit?" Katara asked suddenly, and she was beaming with joy as she saw the energy and elation around us.

Sokka sighed. "Well, I hope she returns every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was."

My sister looked baffled and came to a stop. We all stopped walking and turned to face her. "Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are."

My brother looked a bit taken back by Katara's sudden defensive side, but he calmly said, "Yeah, now, but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." Sokka then made a hand gesture to represent a big explosion. "Ooooo…. Pow!"

"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka. It's more like..." Aang did a little elaborate dance with his feet. "Wooo…." My sister angrily stalked off while I glared at my brother and Aang. Kale and Toph looked uncomfortable as Aang did his little noise again.

Clearing my throat, I got both Sokka and Aang's attention. They immediately stopped making the noises and looked at me surprise. My arms were crossed and my eyes were narrowed at them. "Sorry to say… But you're both wrong. Actually, you both sound like idiots right now," I muttered, then turned to go follow Katara who was already seven yards ahead.

Though I wasn't happy to be half-spirit, my brother and Aang were making me feel ten times crappier about it with their stupid sounds.

Getting back across the river again, we all headed back past the large boulders to the place we'd been staying. Appa looked like he was feeling better, but we decided to let him rest through the night, just to be safe. As we ate dinner, I actually didn't have much of an appetite. Plus this was the third night in a row we'd eaten fish, so I was getting kind of tired of it.

Shoving my bowl away from me, Toph noticed I wasn't going to eat it and took my portion finishing it off. Kale appeared worried over my lack of appetite, but I smiled reassuringly to let him know I was okay. He didn't believe me, but he decided I'd talk to him if I needed to.

As we sat around the campfire I'd lit for the rest of the night, talking amongst one another about the battle ahead, I tuned everyone out and stared harder at the purple dancing flames. As I did, I had images flash through my mind. Some of the images were of my sister, her face holding no regret as she killed me with her lightning. More images were of Zuko, being bowed to by the servants for regaining his honor. Another image flashed of the party thrown in his honor, his eyes holding no pain over my demise as he laughed and danced with Mai.

Zuko had his honor… He had what he'd always wanted… All I had ever done was get in his way.

Getting in peoples way was something I seemed good at.

I really wished I'd dug a hole already to crawl in.

"Amber!" A voice said, and I jumped looking up to see me brother staring down at me with worry. He had his arms crossed and his lips were pulled in a frown. His eyebrows furrowed. "I've been calling your name for the last minute. You okay?"

Staring at Sokka's face, I could tell he was concerned over my distracted mind.

"Sorry," I said softly. "I'm fine." Getting up from the ground, I walked past my brother to gather the empty bowls up so I could wash them with clean water Katara and Toph had managed to make. Everyone watched me with worry, not sure if they should say something. When they didn't, I was grateful.

Later that night we started to fall asleep. As soon as I knew Sokka, Toph, Kale, and Katara were out cold, I walked over to Aang who was snuggled up where he slept. Nudging him in his side with my foot, he opened his eyes in surprise and looked up at me confused.

"It's night time… You want to learn fire bending or not?"

Aang looked surprised, and then he looked unsure. "Are you sure about this Amber? Your mind seems a little crowded tonight."

Crossing my arms, I said, "Do you want to learn or not?"

He quickly got to his feet, realizing I was being serious. Silently he followed me as we walked away from the others back down to the riverside. When we got there, I turned to Aang who came to a stop a few feet behind me.

"Okay… I'm going to try and teach you how I first started to learn. I don't remember much about practicing with Jeong Jeong, but I can teach you how I figured it out at the South Pole."

Aang nodded, his whole face showing he was serious about what was going on.

"We'll start with breathing tonight, then tomorrow night we'll work on stance, and finally we'll try and get you to produce a flame. It took me three weeks to do it where I could actually control the flame, so don't get upset if you can't do it right away?"

Aang nodded again, listening to what I said. Then he got curious. "Wait… If you lost your memory then how did you know you could fire bend?"

"I don't know…" I said looking at the ground with furrowed brows. "I guess it's just something I always knew I could do."

That night Aang and I sat across from one another meditating. I showed him how to breathe correctly, and I explained to him that fire needed oxygen to survive. "If I'm incased in something with no air, then fire bending would be impossible," I explained.

"Got it… Breathe in, exhale, fire bend," Aang said, as if making a mental note in his mind.

We sat across from one another for about an hour, just meditating and breathing. As we did my mind started to wander again. It took me back to the crystal caverns once more as the memory of my death replayed in my head.

I remembered the anger I felt toward Zuko as he betrayed me.

I remembered the determination I felt as I raced into the lightning strike.

I remembered the pain.

My chest suddenly felt like a dagger was sliced through it, and I gasped clutching the place that was still bandaged but had been healing pretty well over the last few weeks. Aang opened his eyes from his meditation and looked at me with worry, seeing the pain shoot across my face. Shutting my eyes, I tried to push the pain back not wanting to seem weak and helpless in front of Aang.

"Amber…?" Aang began.

"I'm fine," I snapped, but the dagger was still digging in my chest. "Just give me a minute."

"Maybe I should-" Aang began, but I cut him off once more.

"No. I'm okay. I just aggravated it," I said, sweat beading down my forehead as I tried to breathe and push the pain back. The dagger slowly came out, and I sighed with relief when the pain finally dulled. It was when the pain stopped, that I noticed tears had been falling down my cheeks.

Aang had stood now, saying, "This was a mistake… You're still in no condition to teach me how to fire bend."

Standing now, I only stumbled for a moment till I finally gained my balance. My head was splitting in pain from the sudden movement. "No… It's okay." I said, pressing a hand to my pulsing forehead. "It was just a memory… The pain was probably triggered by it."

Looking at Aang, I could tell that he didn't think learning fire bending from me was a good idea anymore. He thought I would reinjure myself, and his concerns kind of annoyed me.

"Aang… It was just a moment. I'm really fine. Teaching you fire bending has nothing to do with what just happened," I promised.

Aang looked like he was about to tell me to forget about teaching him, but he must've seen that I wasn't ready to give up so easily. Sighing, he crossed his arms and looked at the ground. "Fine… I'll let you keep teaching me. You just have to promise that if you're wound starts hurting you'll tell me?"

Nodding, I promised I would. He decided I'd taught him enough for one night and we needed to head back to bed so I could rest. I didn't argue, not wanting him to worry about me anymore tonight. As we both turned to head back to our sleeping bags, we stopped dead in our step. There coming from the direction of our campsite was a dark figure dressed in a big hat. She had what almost seemed to be fishing net go down her body like a veil.

Staring closer at the woman, who was surprised by me and Aang's presence, I could immediately recognize the woman's figure. It was Katara, and I could tell she was disguising herself as The Painted Lady. She'd used red berries to paint red lines on her face and arms.

"It's her!" Aang suddenly exclaimed, completely oblivious to the fact that this girl in front of us was human and not spirit. Katara panicked and took off toward the water, while I watched Aang run after her, my face holding both bewilderment and amusement. "Hello, Painted Lady spirit!" Aang suddenly chased Katara across the river, and I watched as their two shapes disappeared into the shadow of the village.

It was only about a minute later that I saw Katara run back across the water toward me. Crossing my arms, I watched my sister with disbelief. Why wouldn't she just tell Aang it was her?

When she got back to the river bank, I watched from the distance as she gasped for much needed air from her run. Aang was running back across the river as Katara caught her breath, and he landed right in front of her when he caught up. Katara immediately pulled her large hat down over her eyes to hide her identity.

"My name's Aang… I'm the avatar," he said, a bit out of breath himself, and still oblivious to the fact that he wasn't talking to a spirit. You'd think being the avatar he'd realize it wasn't a spirit.

"Well, hello, Avatar. I wish I could talk, but I am very busy." Katara put on the best fake voice she could, and I had to resist the urge to laugh.

"Yeah, me too. I hate that," Aang causally said. Then he tried to get a peek at the face under the large hat. "You know, you're really pretty for a spirit. Besides Amber who is pretty, I don't get to meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet...not very attractive."

Immediately I slapped my hand on my face, still unable to believe Aang had no clue it was Katara in front of him.

"Thank you, but…" my sister began, knowing her cover was about to be blown.

"You seem familiar too…"

"A lot of people say that," my sister tried to cover again.

"No… You really seem familiar," Aang said starting to get suspicious.

Katara now tried to walk away. "Look, I really should get going…"

Aang finally realized what was going on, and he used a blast of wind shooting it at Katara. Her hat flew off for a moment revealing her full features, and she quickly grabbed it pulling it back over her head.

"Katara!" Aang exclaimed.

Katara sighed with defeat. "Hi, Aang."

Walking over to the two, I said to Aang, "It took you almost five minutes to realize it."

Aang looked at me with surprise. "You knew?"

Crossing my arms, I nodded.

Aang now turned to Katara pointing at her in bewilderment. "_You're_ the Painted Lady ! But how?"

My sister took her hat off and held it to her side. "I wasn't at first… I was just trying to help the village. But since everyone thought that's who I was anyway...I guess I just kind of became her."

"So you've been sneaking out at night? Wait... is Appa even sick?" he asked suspiciously.

My sister hung her head. "He...might be sick of the purple berries I had been feeding him, but, other than that, he's fine. Amber made sure I left Appa out of my plans these last two days so he should be completely fine by tomorrow."

"I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people," Aang said with astonishment.

Katara looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have."

Aang grinned. "No, I think it's great! You're like a secret a hero!"

Katara seemed relieved that Aang wasn't mad at her. She actually smiled. "Well, if you want to help...there's one more thing I have to do."

Katara told us her crazy plan about infiltrating the factory on the other side of the river and blowing it up. She explained that there would probably be no one inside since it was so late in the night, so no one would really be getting hurt.

As Aang agreed to help her, so did I.

My sister looked baffled at me. "What? Why would I let you come? You're still injured."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "I'm not injured. I feel fine."

Katara crossed her arms. "Uh huh… If your fine, then do a cartwheel."

Now I was baffled. "A cartwheel…? Really?!"

She held all seriousness in her eyes to show me she wasn't joking.

Scowling, I held my hands up and twisted my body so my feet were in the air for a split second and my hands were on the ground. When I landed on my feet after doing a full cartwheel, I stood straight and looked at my sister with hard eyes. "There… See. I'm fine."

She ended up believing me. After she took off her Painted Lady disguise, she began to lead us away from camp up river toward the factory. As we walked, I clutched my chest trying to calm the sharp pains shooting through. That cartwheel hurt a lot more than I thought it was going to, but I wasn't going to let Katara or Aang know that.

Eventually we had to cross the river, and Katara made an icy bridge for me to walk on since I couldn't water bend like her and Aang. When we got to the factory, we stuck along the thirty foot tall wall following Katara as she led us to a sort of drain opening.

"This is the entrance I've been taking these last few days. It takes you right to the factory's door."

The entrance had to be only five feet tall and three feet wide. The pipe it happened to belong to was made out of steel. We all had to bend down a little bit as we walked through the dark pipe. Eventually we emerged on the other side of the massive wall, and we came face to face with the factory. The factory was huge, and I wondered if we'd really be able to pull this off.

"Come on. It's now or never," Katara said.

Rushing inside one of the large steel doors, we spent the next hour pretty much destroying machines and smashing the place up.

With some amazing luck, I walked by a bunch of barrels with blasting jelly in them. Aang and Katara helped me move the barrels over to a large machine that we had yet to destroy. Inside of the machine was gas, and I knew this place would blow as soon as we lit the barrels.

Finding really long rope in one of the other large rooms, Aang placed the end of the rope in one of the barrels and we trailed the other end out of the room. The rope stretched for a good fifty feet till it came to a stop. By that point we were five rooms down.

"We have to be quick," I said. "I estimate we only have thirty seconds to get out of this place before it blows."

Aang and Katara inched back toward the door that would lead us out, and I inched back with them. Looking over at them, I gave them the signal to run. They took off through the door, and as soon as they were gone I shot fire at the rope. As soon as the rope caught my purple flame, I turned sharply and ran for my life.

Aang and Katara were already outside the large factory when I caught up to them, and when they saw I was out they grabbed me on both sides and yanked me away from the steel massive factory. As soon as we hit the pipe that went under the wall, a loud explosion could be heard and the ground shook underneath us. We all stumbled and fell forward right at the pipe, and when we gathered ourselves we got to our feet and looked back at the mess we'd created.

The factory was on fire, and there was black smoke flowing up toward the sky from the massive building. Another explosion sounded, this time a piece of a steel wall shooting off, and we decided now would be a good time to leave. As soon as we got to the other side of the factory's wall, and Katara made another icy bridge for me to run across, we reached the other side of the river and were finally safe.

Exhausted… But safe.

"We did it!" Katara cried, rushing over and hugging me and Aang at the same time. We hugged her back, and then pulled away. Turning, we stared across the river at the factory, and we could see flames shooting up toward the sky.

"Great team work!" Aang exclaimed.

"That was awesome! Great idea, Katara!" I felt so proud of the three of us, especially my sister, for taking a stand and destroying the Fire Nation's factory. We were helping these villagers so much, and I hoped now their river would become clean once again.

When we got back to camp we were all excited and glad at what we'd just done. The sun was rising in the sky, so we wondered if the others were awake and had noticed our absence. Sokka would have a Hippo-cow if he knew what we'd just done.

To all of our surprise, when we got back we were greeted by a line up. Toph looked a bit annoyed, Sokka looked a bit furious, and Kale looked disapproving. They probably had woken up to all of us gone and had freaked out.

"Hi! Sokka! We were just...out on a...morning walk!" Katara came up with her excuse, but none of them looked convinced.

"Oh really… A morning walk?" Sokka asked, and I could tell he was trying hard not to yell. He held in his hands Katara's sleeping bag, and he shook it dumping grass out of it. Katara had tried to cover herself, but she'd only made herself even more suspicious.

"No more lying, you guys," Kale ordered. "You worried us enough this morning." He looked over at me to show he wasn't happy to wake up this morning and find me gone. I hung my head a bit feeling somewhat guilty for worrying him.

Sokka nodded to show we better listen to Kale. Then he pointed at Katara. "I know you're the Painted Lady. I know you've been sneaking out at night, and I know you've been lying about Appa and feeding him purplizing tongue berries!"

Toph stuck her tongue out to show she had eaten some of the berries too.

"Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now," Sokka snapped. Then he turned and pointed at me and Aang. "And how long did you two know about this?"

Aang held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I just found out this morning."

Sokka looked at me now wanting my answer. "Two nights ago… But come on, it was obvious!"

About two hours later we were all packed and pretty much ready to go. Katara, Aang, and I were all tired from our long night.

The sound of a motor suddenly echoed through the air, and we all turned to look toward the polluted water. To mine and everyone else's terror, three jet ski's shot through the water, and from the distance I could tell the Fire Nation soldiers on them weren't happy.

"Oh crap," I said.

"What's going on?" Toph asked, not really able to see.

Aang looked horrified. "Fire Nation soldiers are heading to the village."

Now Kale looked at Aang, Katara, and I, knowing we had something to do with it. His eyes shot to the factory, and you could still see smoke in the air. "You guys didn't!"

Katara rubbed the back of her neck and weakly said, "Yeah… we kind of destroyed their factory."

Sokka looked astounded. "You what?!"

"Are you crazy?! You guys could've gotten hurt, or captured!" Kale scolded.

"It was your idea!" Katara cried pointing at Sokka.

Sokka held his hands up in disbelief. "I was joking. I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises. Did you even think this through? The army's gonna blame the villagers. They're headed there right now to get revenge."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara asked.

Sokka cried, "Leave! Do nothing!"

My sister now held all seriousness in her eyes. "No. I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me. I'm going down to the village, and I am gonna do whatever I can." Silence passed as Sokka took in her words.

She went to leave, but Sokka now stopped her. "Wait… I'm coming to."

Katara turned in surprise, and I was surprised too. "I thought you didn't want to help?"

Sokka sighed. "You need me, and I will never turn my back on you."

My sister smiled and rushed up to Sokka hugging him. He hugged her back with a smile. "Sokka. You really do have a heart."

Aang wiped a stray tear, saying, "He really does have a heart." Kale rolled his eyes while Toph socked Aang in the chest making him fall to the ground with an 'oof'.

As we prepared to head into the small battle against the Fire Nation soldiers, I walked up to Kale knowing he was upset with me for doing what I did. He turned to me when he saw me walk over to him, and I rubbed my arm not really sure how to begin.

When I came to a stop in front of him, I went to speak but he beat me to the punch. "Do you know how worried I was? Sokka and I thought something terrible happened to the three of you."

I was taken off guard for a moment, but then I let out a hard breath. "Sorry… I didn't mean to worry you," I said, hanging my head in guilt.

Kale stared at me for a moment, then let out a hard sigh knowing he couldn't stay mad at me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me into his embrace. He pressed his face into my hair and I shut my eyes enjoying his warmth. "It's okay… I guess I need to stop worrying so much. I just don't like letting you out of my sight. Last time I did, you were shot and almost killed."

I frowned at the memory.

"Hey love birds! Let's go," Toph said. "Aang and Katara are already at the village."

We followed Toph over to where Sokka had a boat. Where he'd gotten the little wooden thing I'd never know. By the time we got to the village, the Fire Nation soldiers had run for their life on their jet skis and the village was cheering. Katara and Aang had beat the Fire Nation soldiers easily. Docking, Sokka helped Toph onto the pier while Kale helped me. When we were all on the wooden platform we made our way toward the crowd of applauding citizens.

Stepping through, we saw Katara was in the center of the crowd. She was wearing her Painted Lady outfit again, and she tried to hide her face from the villagers as they thanked her. The same boy who we'd given our fish to three days ago stepped toward my sister with a smile. "I knew you'd come."

Dock cried, "Thank you!"

Another random villager shouted, "Painted Lady, you're the best!"

Dock added, "Me and my brothers owe you a lot." He stared at my sister, and like a flash of lightning he realized who it was. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not the Painted Lady, you're that colonial girl!"

The boy who had spoken earlier now realized it to. "Yeah, you're the lady that gave me a fish!"

My sister seemed nervous now, realizing her cover was blown. We all tried to push through the crowd to get to her.

"You've been tricking us," Dock accused, his voice filled with fury. "You're a water bender!"

Another villager shouted, "She's a water bender! How dare you act like our Painted Lady?"

Sokka finally broke through the crowd as they booed at my sister, and he stood in front of her to defend her. "Maybe she is a water bender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her."

"Sokka, it's okay," Katara said. Then she spoke to the villagers. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."

The crowd muttered amongst each other realizing she was right.

Dock looked apologetic as he said, "She's right, but what should we do?"

Toph's voice suddenly came out of nowhere, and she made it deeper than it normally was. "Maybe we can clean the river!"

Kale and I almost broke into laughter at her attempt to be a pretend villager.

"Yeah, we can clean the river!" Dock exclaimed. The crowd cheered. As they cheered Kale, Aang, Toph, and I finally made our may through the crowd. Dock bowed a bit to my sister in respect. "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a water bender."

My sister blushed.

Sokka leaned in some saying to Dock, "You wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, by the way, would you?"

Dock nodded. "No problem. Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Xu, on the other hand, hoo! He's a blabbermouth."

Sokka, Kale, and I smacked our hands on our forehead with disbelief.

The next five hours we busily helped the villagers clean the river around us. We placed the gunk in large wooden bins, and when I asked Dock what they'd do with it, he shrugged saying they'd figure out something. Finally, after a long day of using nets to pull the green slime out of the water and make the river flow again, we were done. The water was clear, and you could see normal looking fish underneath.

The villagers thanked us, giving us some fish for free as their token of gratitude, and promising to keep Katara's bending a secret. When we got back to camp, we all slumped on the ground exhausted. Aang and I decided to put fire bending training on a hold for one night, just wanting to get a full night's sleep.

I had trouble falling asleep though. I wasn't sure why, seeing that I was so tired, and I pulled my blanket over my face annoyed. Why couldn't I sleep?

As I lied awake for a few hours, I pictured Zuko once more.

He was living the life he wanted for so long. The life of a prince. He probably didn't miss me.

_"He does," _Roku said, taking me off guard suddenly. His voice had come out of nowhere. _"You're brother lies awake at night like you do now. He wishes he would've chosen the other path._

_"Roku?"_ I asked. To my surprise he didn't answer, but his words stuck with me.

My brother missed me… He loved me… and he regretted betraying me.

This lightened my heart a little, and finally I let a peaceful sleep carry me away.

Maybe one day in the future, my brother and I could fix the relationship that now felt so broken.

Maybe in the future, we'd could look back on the past and laugh over everything.

That night I had no nightmares, and I was relieved.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. Let me know what you thought. I'm going to get started on the next chapter as soon as I can.**


	5. Fever

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry this chapter took so long. I had sort of a block, but I managed to finally get over it. Thanks for the reviews and continuing to read my story!**

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><p>"Amber… I'm not really sure about this."<p>

"Look… You have to overcome your fear somehow, and this is the only way."

"But last time-"

"Don't think about last time!"

Aang stared at the leaf in my hand with deep uncertainty. The small red flame in the middle of the leaf stayed in the center as I controlled the flame. I'd actually used a match to burn the leaf and catch it a light. I wasn't sure how powerful my purple fire would be, and I didn't want to set the whole leaf on fire.

"Come on Aang… Even if you do somehow create another flame and lose control, I'll be ready to stop you. I can stop someone from fire bending, remember?"

Aang looked up at me still uncertain, but eventually he sighed and reached forward taking the leaf from me. As soon as the leaf was in his hand, I said, "Now just breathe and relax. Concentrate on nothing but the flame for the next thirty minutes." Aang obeyed, taking in slow breaths as he tried to concentrate on the flame in the middle of the leaf.

It had been five days since we'd left the fishing village, and I was officially taking on the role as Aang's fire bending teacher. Though I wasn't sure I could teach him as well as a master fire bender, so far we were making good progress. Aang had yet to hold a flame, but I was able to get him to use his breathing to make a flame grow bigger or smaller from a candle.

While Aang concentrated on the flame, I looked up at the dark sky and smiled when I saw the moon shine down at us. Then I frowned as a memory suddenly hit me.

"_Zuko…" my four year old self said, as I crawled onto my older brother's large bed and shook his arm roughly. "Zuko! Wake up! I want to show you something!" _

_My five year old brother groaned and turned over a bit so his gold eyes looked straight into my own. "Amber… Why are you up? Go back to bed." _

"_But Zuko… I really want to show you something," I whined, shaking his arm again._

_He rolled back over, grabbing his blanket and pulling it over his head. "No… Show me tomorrow."_

_I pouted. "But it will be gone tomorrow."_

"_Not my problem," Zuko said softly under his blanket, and I heard his breathing change again as he fell back asleep. _

"_Please Zu! I'll never ask you for anything ever ever again!" I cried, bouncing on the bed to wake him back up._

_Zuko let out a heavy sigh and pushed the covers down from his face. Looking over at me again, he said, "This better not be stupid."_

_I shrilled with delight and scooted off his bed. My brother groggily crawled off his bed and when he was standing and ready, I grabbed his hand yanking him out of the room. We left the bed chamber area of the palace, walked down three halls, rushed up some stone stairs, and finally reached the giant balcony I'd been on earlier._

_The balcony was where my father made his speeches to the giant crowds of Fire Nation soldiers, and sometimes nobility. The balcony oversaw the whole palace courtyard, and you could even see beyond the giant palace the large buildings of The Capital. The buildings and walls were not what I wanted to show Zuko though._

_Pointing up at the moon, I said, "Look Zuko! See!" I pointed up at the sky where the full moon was, and Zuko looked up with me. _

"_What? It's just the moon. I see that every night!" Zuko whined._

_I turned to my brother who had a scowl on his face and had turned to leave. Grabbing his arm, I said, "That's not what I was pointing at."_

_My brother looked at me with surprise and looked back at the moon again. That's when he saw it. A dark shape flew in front of the moon, its long body almost seeming to dance in the moonlight. From the distance, the shape was just a black silhouette and almost appeared bird like. It wasn't a bird though._

"_See, Zuko! It's a dragon!" I exclaimed. _

"_That's impossible…Their supposed to be extinct…" My brother whispered, staring at the shape that would fly past the moon, disappear for a second, and then fly past the moon again. _

"_It's so cool!" I cried, jumping up and down with excitement._

_My brother smiled saying, "Yeah… It is." Then he pulled me into a hug. "Thanks for showing me, Amber."_

_I beamed at my brother's gratefulness, and the two of us continued to look up at the sky watching the dragon fly back and forth across the moons light._

"Amber!" Aang cried, and I turned my attention back to Aang to see his eyes wide with panic. The flame had overcome the leaf and Aang was holding a ball of fire in his hand not sure what to do. Immediately I widened my eyes in surprise and reached forward to extinguish the flame in Aang's hand. He lost control of the fire and gasped as it flew at me.

Quickly I caught it and held the glowing fire in my hand, which it quickly turned into my own purple flame. Shutting my hand, I let the fire extinguish and sighed with relief that I'd caught the flame in time.

"I thought you were going to be ready to stop me?" Aang asked, waving his hands in the air as he frantically tried to understand why I hadn't been paying attention.

Immediately I hung my head ashamed. "I'm sorry, Aang. My mind was in another place. I was stupid to look away."

Aang sighed, calming down and dropping his arms to his sides. An awkward silence fell over us, and I knew what was coming next. "This is the third night in a row you've been getting distracted. Is it Zuko again?"

Scowling, I snapped, "I'm fine Aang! I just took my eyes off of you for a moment. It won't happen again."

Aang frowned. "So it was Zuko."

My eyes widened at his perceptive mind.

"Amber… I can't let you teach me anymore," Aang said. Immediately I went to protest but he cut me off before I could. "As much as I appreciate you trying to teach me, this isn't going to work. Your minds too clouded right now, and one of these nights I'm going to hurt you like I hurt Katara before."

"Aang… I-"

"No Amber… I can defeat the Fire Lord without knowing how to fire bend. Let's just forget this training thing and focus more on the invasion now." Aang turned and left me then, heading back up the rocky hill to the cave we were staying in for the night. He left because he didn't want to hear me come up with another excuse to why I was fine.

Sighing, I walked over to a rock jutting out of the ground and sat against it with a frown. Hugging my legs close to me, I pressed my face into my knees and shut my eyes tightly as pain shot through me.

My mind continued to race with thoughts and memories that I couldn't push away.

**Third Person POV**

Zuko walked along the dark hall of the palace, his gold eyes tired as he lost yet another night of sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes and dreamed, all he ever saw was his little sister dying in front of him. Her scream still pierced through his head, and he wanted so much to push it away.

As he walked outside of the palace and into the palace garden, he looked up at the sky above to see the stars and the moon shining brightly. He wondered if Amber could see the stars wherever she was. He didn't know what happened when someone died, but he assumed his little sister was in the spirit world. He wished so much he could speak to her. He wished he could tell her how sorry he was.

This was the second time he'd lost his sister. This was the second time he grieved over Amber's death. This time however, he grieved alone. His uncle was in prison, his mom was gone, and his father and sister Azula didn't seem to care.

His mind took him back to the day Amber first was taken from his life.

_A seven year old Zuko was woken up by the frantic shouts of his mother. He shoved his blanket off with worry and quickly clambered off the bed onto his feet. Rushing out of his room into the hall, he heard his mom shouting, "Amber! My baby! No!"_

_Zuko rushed across the hall, dodging a bunch of guards that were running around looking really frantic. When Zuko got across the hall into his little sisters room, he was horrified at what he saw. His mom was hunched over on the floor, her eyes pouring out tears as she clutched something tightly in her hand. Zuko's uncle Iroh knelt beside her, his golden eyes pained as he hugged Princess Ursa to him. _

"_Mom?" Zuko asked, stepping fully into the room. "What's wrong? Where's Amber?"_

_It was as Zuko came in the room, he noticed that all the contents that had once stood on Amber's dresser had been knocked to the floor. Her favorite brush, little rocks and stones she had collected over the years, some seashells, and other miscellaneous objects were scattered on the stone floor. There were small red dots soaked into the stone floor, and Zuko immediately registered the strange stains as blood. _

"_Zuko… Go back to your room," Iroh ordered the young boy, who was looking at the scene before him with wide eyes. Zuko shook his head slowly, still not understanding what was happening. _

"_Mom… Where's Amber?" he asked again, his voice shaking._

_His mom looked up at him, her gold eyes filled with nothing but pain and tears. In her hand, she clutched the gold bracelet that had once belonged to Amber. She said to Zuko with a broken heart, "She's gone… My baby girl is gone."_

"_What do you mean, gone?" Zuko asked, his eyes widening more as he took in his moms words._

_His mom broke into more sobs, and his uncle even began to cry as well. Zuko realized what she had meant. Amber was gone. The blood on the stone ground was his sister's. She was probably dead._

_Dropping to his knees, he broke out into sobs too as he realized his best friend was gone._

With a hard sigh, Zuko walked silently over to the small pond he had come to know so well over the last few weeks. Taking a seat on the stone bench beside the pond, he crossed his arms as he looked at the moons reflection in the water. His lips pulled into a frown as he thought about Amber once more.

His mind dragged away again as he returned to the past. This time he remembered the day he saw his sister for the first time in nine years. The day he learned his thought to be dead sister, was actually alive and well.

_Zuko stood at the ramp of the giant naval ship that had just smashed through the ice of the South Pole. The ramp was lowered and hit the snow covered world below. Zuko was confident that this village he and his men were about to invade was housing the avatar. He knew the hundred year old man he'd been searching for almost three years to find, had to be somewhere in this isolated place of ice and Water Tribe peasants._

_Zuko took the lead as he began to descend down the ramp, his armor heavy on him as he trudged forward. His helmet made his head itch, and the hard armor he wore almost dug into his skin, but he wasn't going to let discomfort get in his way. He was on a mission. He was ready to capture the avatar and regain his honor._

_A young man's loud cry suddenly rang drawing Zuko's attention to the villagers gathered ahead. A boy, maybe a year younger than Zuko, ran up the ramp toward Zuko and his soldiers with a strange wooden weapon in his hand. Zuko had trained for years in combat, and his Uncle who was his teacher happened to be one of the best fire benders in the world. This water tribe boy would be like a tiny bug to Zuko._

_The water tribe boy finally reached Zuko, but the young prince easily kicked the wooden club out of his opponent's hand, and then kicked his opponent off of the ramp. The young boy fell over the ramps side and landed face first in a pile of snow. Zuko was kind of relieved he hadn't hurt the guy too much._

"_Sokka!" a female cry suddenly rang out. As Zuko continued down the ramp with his soldiers behind him, the young prince looked over to see a girl maybe fifteen with long black hair helping the boy out of the snow. She was dressed in water tribe furs to keep her warm. He tried to not dwell too much on the girl, turning his attention back to the villagers waiting at the end of the ramp. However his mind couldn't get past the black hair. He didn't know much about the water tribe, but he did know that they weren't known to have black hair._

_Finally Zuko and his soldiers reached the villagers and scanned the crowd trying to find the avatar. He was pretty sure the avatar was male, and he had a strong feeling he'd be very old. He looked around, but he did not find any men in the crowd. Actually, all he saw were elderly and young women, a girl who looked maybe fourteen with brown hair in a long braid, and a bunch of children who appeared younger than ten. The girl with black hair had returned to the gathered tribe, and Zuko shot her a quick look over surprised when he saw gold eyes and pale skin. She was also very pretty, almost like a princess or child of nobility in a way. Was she Fire Nation? Her gold eyes were glaring at him like daggers. _

_Zuko immediately looked away feeling a bit intimidated. He decided not to dwell on the girl and refocused on the mission. "Where are you hiding him?" He ordered, scanning the crowd for any sign that any of the women knew what he was talking about. _

_No one made a response, and so Zuko was forced to show his aggressive side. He inched closer to the crowd picking out the oldest woman he could find. The oldest woman of the tribe happened to be standing beside the two only teenage girls in the whole village. One of those girls was the one with black hair. _

_Zuko knew he was going to look like a monster, but he had no choice. Reaching forward, he grabbed the elderly woman and yanked her forward so the crowd of villagers could see her. They gasped as the woman was handled roughly by Zuko. "He'd be about this age! Master of all elements!" Zuko snapped, hoping maybe he'd refresh some one's memory._

_No one made a response again, and a bit annoyed Zuko shoved the woman back into the crowd. The two girls gasped and caught her, and the gold eyed girl glared even sharper daggers at him. Too annoyed to care about these villagers anymore, Zuko shot a blast of fire above their heads not wanting to hurt them but show them he meant business._

_A hand suddenly grabbed his hand, which then caused his fire to immediately extinguish. His eyes stared at the golden eyed girl with bewilderment. She was a fire bender? What was a fire bender doing at the South Pole of all places?_

"_How dare you touch my Gran-Gran like that! You have no respect for anyone!" _

_Zuko was bewildered by her words. Her Gran-Gran? Clearly she was not related to anyone in this tribe? Zuko began to grow very curious of this girl, but he quickly covered it up and replaced his shock with a scowl. Yanking his hand away, he used his other and shot a weak blast of fire at the girl trying to get her to back off. She fell back with a shriek, her butt landing in the snow as the fire flew above her._

_Annoyed by this girl's rebellion, Zuko hissed, "I'll deal with you later traitor!" She glared even more at him, but the prince ignored her looking back at the villagers. "I know you're hiding him!"_

_The water tribe boy from earlier suddenly shouted a battle cry again. Zuko turned in the nick of time to see the teen run at him with his weapon which Zuko now could see was a wooden club. With fluid movements, Zuko planted his feet in the snow ducking, and the water tribe boy hit the prince's body flying over. The boy landed on the ground hard, and Zuko quickly stood straight creating a flame and shooting it at the boy. He dodged the flame with a roll, and then reached behind his back grabbing a wooden boomerang. He shot it forward at Zuko, but Zuko dodged it easily._

_The water tribe boy was on his feet again, and a little water tribe kid from the crowd shouted, "Show no fear!" The little boy threw a wooden carved spear at the teenager, who caught it with determination. He pointed the sharp end of the spear at Zuko, who only narrowed his eyes annoyed by this dude's determination. As the water tribe boy charged at Zuko, Zuko used the armor on his arms to smash into the spear and break it up. Then he grabbed the spear with his hand, smashed the dull end against the water tribe boy's forehead knocking him into the snow, and then broke the spear in half throwing it on the ground._

_It served the boy right for trying to attack a prince of the Fire Nation._

_Something hard suddenly smashed into Zuko's helmet, and the impact sent the prince stumbling a bit as pain throbbed through his head. He winced at the pain, and then fixed his helmet which had twisted a bit from impact. Looking at what had hit him, he saw the wooden boomerang lying in the snow. So boomerangs did always come back._

_Zuko was furious, unable to believe he had actually gotten hurt by this mere peasant. Lighting some daggered flames in his hand, he went to attack the boy but was stopped._

_The black haired girl rushed forward, her body stepping between Zuko and the terrified water tribe boy. The girl created a flame in her hand and said with fury, "Stop this! Whoever you're looking for isn't here!"_

_Zuko's eyes widened as he stared at her face more closely. She looked almost like his mother, especially when lady Ursa had been a teenager. He knew this from pictures of his mom in the palace._

_It couldn't be though…_

_Narrowing his eyes, Zuko was about to show the girl what happens when someone defies the Fire Prince, but something suddenly smacked into Zuko's legs knocking him over. Zuko smacked into the snow hard, his helmet flying off from impact. When he gathered himself, he stood and glared daggers at the cause of his fall._

_A boy of maybe twelve, with strange colored clothing and blue arrow tattoos, sat on the snow saying to the three teenagers of the Water Tribe, "Hey Katara. Hey Sokka. Hey Kaya."_

_Kaya… So that was the black haired girl's name… It really didn't fit her appearance. _

_The water tribe boy who was still on his butt, looked up at the strange kid with relief. "Hey Aang… Thanks for coming."_

_The boy, Aang, hopped to his feet and turned to Zuko with annoyance. Zuko and his men were already rounding up on the boy, prepared to fire. Aang held in his hand a large staff, and Zuko wondered if he was going to hit them with it. Zuko was getting tired of all these kids fighting him. He just wanted to find the avatar already._

_The boy suddenly smashed his staff forward and a harsh wind blew snow on Zuko and his men. Zuko stood there for a moment in shock, then he scowled and melted the snow off of him. _

"_Looking for me?" the boy asked, his eyes holding nothing but determination._

_Zuko was astonished. "You're the air bender… You're the avatar!"_

_The boy almost smirked when he saw the surprise on Zuko's face. Zuko was outraged and embarrassed by this new information._

"_I've spent years preparing for this encounter… training, meditating… You're just a child!" Zuko was totally unable to believe that this kid could be the avatar. He was supposed to be over a hundred by now. How the Agni did he only appear to be a twelve year old boy? Was he frozen in time or something!_

"_Well you're just a teenager," he stated._

_Zuko was amazed at what the boy said. Then he felt rage build inside him. Who did this kid think he was, calling the Prince of the Fire Nation a teenager?_

_With fury, Zuko shot a blast of fire at the boy who quickly blocked with his air bending. The two circled each other in the village, and Zuko continued to shoot fire at the boy trying to make him surrender. One of Zuko's flames went too far and almost hit the villagers behind making them cry out in fear. Zuko noticed the black haired girl try and deflect some of the flames with her hands._

_The air bender boy stopped then, holding his staff to the ground in surrender. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?"_

_Immediately, Zuko froze, surprised by this boys sudden surrender. Zuko gestured for his men to seize the boy, and the soldiers stepped forward grabbing him on both sides. As the soldiers took the boy's weapon and began to force him forward toward the ship, Zuko glanced back at the three teenagers of the tribe who watched their friend get taken away with sadness. The black haired girl though had a strange emotion flash through her gold eyes that Zuko registered as determination._

_Trying not to worry about it, Zuko walked away from the villagers back to the ramp of his ship. As he walked behind his men who were already on the ramp, the water tribe teenage girl rushed forward crying, "No, Aang! Don't do this!"_

_The boy looked back past Zuko, saying, "__Don't worry, Katara, it'll be okay. Take care of Appa for me until I get back."_

_Zuko scowled at the boy's words. There would be no going back._

_Zuko was only halfway up the ramp when he heard something: Shouts from the tribe behind him. Turning to look back, Zuko saw with amazement the black haired girl running at him with fury. "Let him go!" She ordered, rushing up the ramp with flames in her hand. She shot fire past Zuko at one of his men, who was knocked down on impact not expecting the sudden blast. _

_Annoyed, Zuko paced forward meeting her and grabbing her flaming hand hard. She gasped and struggled as he turned her around and shoved both her arms behind her back almost effortlessly. Reaching inside his armor, he found the rope he'd originally planned on using for the avatar, and he tied her hands hard. She grimaced at the rope digging into her skin, but Zuko was too aggravated to care._

_The water tribe boy and girl were rushing forward with horror at their friend being bound and captured. Zuko quickly grabbed the girl around her waist, a bit surprised by how thin she was under all the blue fur she wore. He then held a flame to her face, though he would've never dreamed of burning her. She was just a girl, and Zuko did have a heart._

"_I'm taking this traitor with me! If anyone follows, I'll burn her so bad you won't be able to recognize her!" Zuko wasn't serious, but he hoped the threat would get the anxious teens below to back away. They did just that._

_Zuko almost sighed, glad he wouldn't have to fight anymore with this weak looking tribe. Turning, he held a tight grip on the girl's waist and began to practically carry her up the ramp. She kicked and screamed the whole way, making Zuko wince and cringe as she hit him a few times with her boots._

_Finally, by some miracle, Zuko managed to drag the kicking and struggling girl on the ship and the ramp began to rise. "Head a course for the fire nation! I'm going home!"_

_The girl scowled and kicked at Zuko some more, and the avatar looked over at the girl trying to break from his captors to help her. Zuko knew he had to worry more about the avatar and not this girl at the moment. "Knock her out!" he ordered._

_A soldier came over immediately and smashed his hand into the side of her head. The girl immediately blacked out, falling limp in the young prince's arms. Zuko grimaced a bit at the force of the blow._

"_Kaya!" the boy shouted in terror, and then yelled, "You could've killed her!"_

_Zuko scowled. "Be silent Avatar, or you'll be next!"_

_The boy glared daggers at Zuko, but then he let out a hard sigh looking down at the steel floor in defeat. Zuko sighed too. He didn't mean to hurt the girl, but she had given him no choice. Using his strength, he managed to maneuver the girl up into his arms. When he had her up, he pulled her over his right shoulder and easily stood. He'd carried a lot more heavier loads in the past. This girl was nothing compared to other things he carried during his Fire Nation training._

_Zuko led his men through the ship and back up on deck. His uncle stood in the center of the deck, and when his eyes saw the cargo on Zuko's shoulder he looked dumbfounded. Then when his uncle saw the avatar emerge onto the deck, he was bewildered at how young the boy happened to be. _

_Zuko still held the girl on his shoulder as he shot his men orders. The staff was to be taken to his quarters, and the avatar was to be taken to the prison hold. As soldiers dragged the avatar away, he looked back at Zuko shouting, "You better not hurt her!"_

_Zuko scowled, and then he turned back to his uncle._

_Iroh did not look like he approved. "So… You've captured the _young _avatar. I'm truly impressed… And you also found yourself a girlfriend… Even more impressed."_

_Zuko scowled again at the sarcasm, then pulled the girl forward maneuvering her so she was lying limply back in his arms. When Iroh saw the black hair, light skin, and evident Fire Nation features his eyes widened in amazement. Then he saw her face, and his blood ran cold. It was an exact copy of how Lady Ursa had looked when she was a teenager. _

"_This girl is Fire Nation and has been conspiring with the enemy. She will be taken to-"_

_Iroh cut him off. "Great spirits! I cannot believe my eyes!"_

_Zuko was stunned by his uncle's reaction._

"_Zuko… Do you not realize who this is?"_

_Zuko's brows furrowed. "Should I know her? She's clearly a Fire Nation traitor. "_

_Iroh looked like tears were forming in his eyes. "Who does she look like to you?"_

_Zuko was taken a bit off guard, but he frowned as he knew what his uncle was saying. "I do admit… she sort of bares resemblance to mom… but that's impossible."_

_Iroh looked at his nephew intently. "Think about it Zuko… This girl looks about fifteen and is most definitely Fire Nation. Your sister Amber would be fifteen if she were still alive to this day…"_

_Iroh's words sunk into Zuko finally. After an awkward silence, Zuko laughed. Zuko laughed hard. He'd never laughed so hard in his life, since his little sister died. "That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say. This girl is not my sister! My sister is dead!" He said the last part stopping his laughter, and now his voice held pain and annoyance. Why would his uncle say such a foolish thing?_

_Iroh frowned. "They never found a body Zuko..."_

"_So…?"_

"_Think about it Zuko… This girl… She is Amber…"_

_Zuko knew his uncle was right, and his eyes immediately lowered back down to the unconscious girl in his arms. "It can't be…" Zuko whispered, his voice breaking. His eyes became moist as he stared down at the girl who most definitely was his long lost sister._

"_Amber has finally come back to us," Iroh whispered._

Zuko grabbed his hair as his eyes filled with tears. Amber had come back, only for Zuko to betray her and cause her to actually die for good this time. Sobs escaped Zuko once more as he pictured his sister's death.

He wanted so much to go back to that day. He wanted so much to listen to his sister.

He wanted a second chance.

**Amber POV**

"Amber!" a voice suddenly shouted, and I jumped opening my eyes in surprise. My back was killing me, and I realized I'd fallen asleep against the rock after an hour of hugging my knees and thinking about Zuko. Kale knelt beside me, his brown eyes filled with worry. "You look awful," he said, and his hand reached to feel my forehead.

I was pretty sure I wasn't sick, and immediately I went to shove his hand away. My arms ached though, and I couldn't really move. What was wrong with me? I felt fine a few hours ago.

"You have a fever," he said, and suddenly I saw his eyes become anxious. "I need to get you to Katara." Picking me up in his arms, it wasn't until I was off the ground that I realized just how awful I felt. My head rushed madly, and I felt my chest sting like crazy. My ribs even burned and felt like they were being squeezed. I groaned as I realized Kale was right. I was sick.

Somehow, sometime later, Kale was suddenly carrying me into the cool cave we'd been staying in. I was so out of it that I didn't remember the walk back uphill to the cave. "What happened?" Katara asked suddenly, and I looked over through blurry vision to see my sister worried.

"She has a fever… I don't know what's going on," Kale said anxiously, and suddenly I was lowered to the floor of the cave and placed on a sleeping bag.

Katara was suddenly beside me, her sisterly hand resting on my burning face. "She's burning up… Aang, bring me some water!"

"I'm fine," I whined, reaching up to shove her hand away. Kale grabbed my wrist before I could touch Katara and placed it firmly down beside me. Aang was suddenly in my line of sight and I saw him with a bowl of water. My eyes shot to Toph, and she looked worried as well. Where was Sokka?

"Sokka…?" I began, trying to recollect if my brother was going somewhere today.

"He'll be back later. He went to go train with Master Piandao to learn sword fighting," Katara said, her hand leaving my forehead as she used water to start her healing. Now that she mentioned it, I did remember Sokka getting accepted by Master Piandao to learn sword fighting. That was after the meteor fell from the sky yesterday and we all had to save a village from being burnt to the ground. Yesterday, I used my fire bending to stop the flames caused by the meteor completely, but at the same time my chest erupted into pain. Though the wound from Azula's blast had sealed, I still had some damaged tissue around the area that was slowly healing. Perhaps I'd messed up something in the area of my wound yesterday.

"The muscles around her ribs are inflamed," Katara said as her water suddenly came over my chest. "She must've aggravated them yesterday when she was stopping the fire."

"What can we do?" Kale asked.

My sister sighed. "I can calm the inflammation, but she's not going to be back to her fullest strength for a day or two. She's in a lot of pain though, so I think we should find her some herbs to make her comfortable. Numbing the pain will hopefully calm the fever."

"I'm fine…" I said again, trying to sit up.

My sister shoved me back down. "Stop being stupid Amber. Stay down before you upset anything else."

"This is all my fault," Aang suddenly said. "I should've never asked her to train me."

"She was training you?" Kale sounded surprised.

"Yeah… I thought if I learned fire bending I'd be able to defeat the Fire Lord. I was afraid I wouldn't defeat him by the time the eclipse passed. Amber wasn't ready to train me though. Her mind kept wandering, and sometimes she'd get these moments where she was in a lot of pain."

"I've noticed Princess gets in pain a lot when she fire bends," Toph said.

The conversation somewhat faded as my mind began to blur. Shutting my eyes, I suddenly felt so tired. However I didn't want to sleep. If I slept, that meant I'd see Zuko again. I was tired of dreaming.

"I'm making some tea… I found some herbs in the supply bag," Kale suddenly said, though his voice seemed far.

"I'll make some ice to cool it when you're done. She won't drink it unless it's cold," Katara said. Her voice seemed far too.

It seemed like I was in and out for a few minutes, but I refused to go to sleep. Whenever I felt like I was about to sink under, I'd open my eyes and try and focus on something.

Toph sat beside me at one point saying, "You don't have to act so strong all the time Princess. A girl who comes back from the dead has already proved her strength enough."

"I wasn't dead," I weakly said. "I was just stuck."

"If that makes you feel better then I'll agree with you."

It was only a little while after that when I felt Kale suddenly help me sit up. By that point I was shivering violently from the fever that had yet to break. Kale held a cup to my lips, and I immediately gulped on the cool liquid trying to quench my thirst. "She should be out in a minute or two," Kale said, lowering me back to the ground.

It wasn't until I felt the herbs finally kick in that I understood. Kale had drugged my tea again.

"You drugged me again," I said softly, my voice barely a whisper.

"Sorry love… It's for your own good." His warm hand rested on my forehead and I sighed at the familiar touch. "It's okay now… You can sleep."

Exhausted, I did.

When I did, a dream came to me once more.

_The giant steel door to the cold cell I sat in opened, and entering the room was Zhao. His gold eyes narrowed at me as he stepped over to me. Immediately I scooted away from him to the corner of the cell and pulled my whole body into a ball wishing he'd just leave me alone. My six year old form looked so weak and helpless compared to this giant man. Already there were singes in my torn dress from where Zhao had abused me._

_Zhao sneered and walked over to me, hissing, "You're so pathetic! Your father say's you have to die before you ruin his plans, but I honestly don't see what you could possibly do. You're a weak, good for nothing, little freak, who can't even fire bend when told to." _

_He grabbed my arm and I cried out as he yanked me toward him spitting in my face and making me cringe in disgust. "You're no better than a palace rug!" He yanked me up, making me scream from how hard he pulled on my arm. Throwing me across the cell, I hit the wall on the other side hard and slumped to the hard floor with blurry vision. Zhao's foot smashed onto my back as I tried to get up, and I was shoved back to the floor smashing my chin on the hard steel ground as I went. Immediately I tasted blood. "See… All you are is a bug." He shoved his foot harder into my back and I screamed louder as my bones started to feel the force of his boot._

"_Mommy! Zuko!" I screamed, kicking and screaming. _

"_Shut up! I told you your cries are useless! We're already a day's trip from the fire nation!" He took his foot off, immediately releasing the pressure on my back. Then his hand grabbed a bunch of my hair and he yanked me up. Screaming, I grabbed his hand as his pulling almost tore my hair from my scalp. _

"_You are going to die! Your mom and brother will not save you! Stop this foolish hope that you will live and accept your fate!" He threw me again, and I landed on the ground hard with a loud cry. _

"_Zuko!" I sobbed. "Zuko!"_

_Zhao kicked my ribs with his heavy boot, and I screamed again as I took the brunt of his attack. "You are a weak little freak that will never know what true happiness is ever again! I will crush your spirit, and when we get to the South Pole, I will freeze your heart in the deepest iciest waters I can find! You will never see your brother again!"_

_As I tried to move again, a very sharp burning sensation suddenly overcame my back and I shrieked as the fire burned through my clothing and licked at my skin. "No! No! MOM! ZUKO! ZUKO!"_

With a scream, I woke up and gasped as I tried to breathe. My face and body were covered in sweat, and I shivered violently from the fever I still had. Trying to sit up and throw the blankets off, I immediately had a hand hold me down.

"_You will never see your brother again!" _Zhao's voice screamed in my head again. _"I will kill you!"_

"NO! Let me go! Zuko! Zuko!" I cried, going to hit my captor. Another hand grabbed me and I screamed again as I began to struggle against my captor. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

"Amber! Stop! It was just a dream! You're okay!"

Immediately I froze, my breathing hard and my body in agony as I took in the voice that had just spoken. It was not Zhao's…

I was starting to come to my senses. "Sokka…" I whispered, opening my eyes to see with blurry vision my brother was firmly holding onto my hand and had it pinned to the sleeping bag I lied on. His other hand was holding my shoulder down so I couldn't move.

When he saw I had calmed, he sighed and said with deep worry, "It was just a nightmare… No one's hurting you."

"Zhao…" I whispered. "He was-"

"It was a dream… Nothing more," Sokka whispered, slowly letting go of my hand and shoulder. He grabbed a rag beside him and placed it on my head. The cool liquid soothed my pounding and rushing mind. "No one's here to hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

My eyes suddenly became heavy again, and I shut them as sleep took me over once more.

"_A great evil has overcome our world. The Fire Nation has destroyed our village, killed our loved ones, and tried to crush our spirits. They will not crush us though. We are strong, and we will get through this together! We will fight with one another against these savage men, and bring peace back to these times. The Avatar is not here to protect this world, so we must do so in his place. I call on all the men who wish to fight beside me! Gather up your arms, and together we will take down these monsters!"_

_The tribe all burst with triumphant calls as men stood to join Hakoda's elite force of Water Tribe Warriors. Sokka who was twelve, stood confidently as he stepped forward to join the warriors. Katara, who was ten, shook her head in disbelief at her brother's stubborn action. I stood beside her, my arm in a sling as I watched the warriors prepare for their battle that would turn to years at sea._

_We were gathered in the center of our village, a large fire built to light up the area around us. It was night, and the moon and stars shined above. Father was at the head of the tribe, and he held a guarded expression as he painted symbols on each man's face that stepped forward, thanking them for their volunteer. _

_The Fire Nation had come to our village three weeks ago. The monsters had burned down our tents, killed half the men of our tribe, and had killed my mother as well. Shutting my eyes tightly, I could remember my mother's death. I'd seen her die right in front of my very eyes. She died, and I could do nothing to save her._

_My arm ached as I remembered the fire that had bit into my skin. My burns were nothing compared to my mother though. Her whole body was encased in flames. Her whole body was destroyed right in front of me, and I could do nothing to save her._

"_Kaya!" Gran-Gran suddenly said, and I turned to see the kind old woman looking at me with disapproval. "You were supposed to stay in the tent. Your arm may get infected out here." _

"_I wanted to hear father's speech," I said softly, hanging my head ashamed._

_Gran-Gran placed a motherly hand on my shoulder, saying, "Well you heard it. Now let's get inside before you get sick. Katara! Come too! And where is your brother? Go fetch him and bring him with you!"_

_Katara ran off to go get Sokka, while Gran-Gran walked me away from the tribe back to our tent. The tent was repaired after it had been destroyed three weeks ago, but you could still see marks where fire had burned into it._

"_It's all my fault," I whispered to no one but myself. "I could've saved her."_

_Gran-Gran stopped walking and with surprising speed turned so she was suddenly gripping my shoulders firmly. "Listen to me young lady… You will never say those words again, nor think that way! Your mother died to protect both you and your sister. Her death was not your fault, and it will never be your fault. I do not want you blaming yourself!"_

"_But I was there!" I cried. Tears poured down my cheeks. "I was there and I could've stopped them! I should've taken her place! I'm so weak! I'm so useless!" _

_My Gran-Gran was shocked by my words, and then she narrowed her eyes even more at me. "Kaya! That is enough! I will not have you speaking like this! Your mother would not like these words coming out of your mouth either. There is nothing any of us could've done. You're lucky the Fire Nation didn't kill you. You're lucky all they did was burn you! Stop speaking as if your life means nothing!"_

_Immediately I sobbed and my Gran-Gran sighed. Pulling me into her arms, she said softly, "You always place the blame on yourself… Nothing is your fault, my sweet princess."_

"_Nothing is your fault…"_

"Just go Sokka," a voice said as I suddenly returned back to the present. Opening my eyes weakly, I saw through blurry vision Sokka at the mouth of the cave looking uncertain. The sun was out showing it was still some time in the day. My sister was trying to shove Sokka along, but he wouldn't budge.

"I don't want to leave her like this," Sokka said.

Katara scowled, placing her hands on her hips. "She'll be fine. Her fever's already going down. You need to focus more on your sword training with Master Piandao. Amber will feel guilty if you don't go."

"Okay… But if anything happens-"

"She'll be fine…"

My eyes closed again and I fell back into my dreams.

"_Zuko! I've been looking everywhere for you," Mai's voice suddenly said, and I saw her present day self, walk over to my brother who was hunched over the balcony where he and I had once stood watching the dragon in the sky. Mai was wearing a fine long red dress that fit her figure nicely, and her long sleeves hung as she lifted her hand and placed it on my brothers back. It was night and the moon was the only thing lighting the air around Zuko and Mai._

_My brother was wearing dark red Fire Nation robes, and his brown hair messily hung down as he stared out past the walls surrounding the palace courtyard. His eyes almost seemed to trail to the ocean in the distance._

"_Ty Lee said she saw you come out here… She said you looked like you were in pain," Mai said._

_My brother sighed heavily, and I saw him stand straight and step away from Mai who looked worried. "I'm fine," Zuko whispered, but his voice broke and I could tell he was lying._

"_It's Amber… isn't it?" Mai asked._

_Zuko ran a hand through his hair and then turned to face Mai. When I saw his face fully, I was shocked. His eyes had dark circles under them showing he hadn't slept in weeks. His face was pale and his gold eyes were full of nothing but pain. He also looked like he'd been crying. He dropped his gaze from Mai, and hung his head in defeat._

"_It's all my fault… I could've saved her," he whispered._

_My eyes widened as Zuko spoke the exact same words I'd spoken a long time ago to my Gran-Gran about my mother's death._

"_What could you have done? From what Azula said, Amber ran into the crossfire. She died along with the avatar from her own choice. You wouldn't have been able to stop her."_

_Zuko grabbed his hair as if to help ease his agony. "You're wrong… If I had just chosen the right path, then Amber would still be alive. My little sister would still be alive and well. I betrayed her… I burned her and chose honor over family. She was so hurt… You should've seen the hurt in her eyes Mai… I've never seen my sister look at me that way before."_

"_Your sister may have been hurt at the time Zuko, but I'm sure she forgives you," Mai said, reaching to place a hand on my brother's shoulder._

_Zuko recoiled from her touch and Mai looked surprised. "No! How can she forgive me Mai? She's dead! She's dead, and the last memory she has of me is my betrayal." Zuko broke into hard sobs, and I watched with agony as he fell to the floor on his knees clutching his head with sorrow._

_Immediately I rushed forward, my dream self reaching out to touch his shoulder and let him know I was okay. "Zuko! I'm right here! I do forgive you! Please don't cry!" I reached forward to grab his hand from his hair, but my hand went right through him as if I were a ghost._

"_Stop! You're not at fault here!" Mai said, falling beside my brother and wrapping her arms around his shaking form. "Blaming yourself like this isn't going to bring Amber back."_

"_Zuko! Please stop crying! I'm right here!" I shouted, reaching to grab my brother by the shoulder. My hand went straight through again. _

"_Why do I lose everything I love?" Zuko whispered. "My mom's dead because she protected me from father. My uncle's in prison because I turned my back on him. My little sister is dead, because I chose honor of her. Why do I destroy everything I have?"_

"_Zuko! Stop!" I cried, on my knees now as I too felt great sadness toward my brothers suffering. "You haven't destroyed anything. I'm alive! I'm alive, Zuko!"_

_Mai had tears falling down her own cheeks. "You don't Zuko… You didn't destroy Amber, Azula did."_

"_No… We both did. We were her family, and we turned our back on her. I turned my back on her… I don't deserve to be happy. I don't deserve to be here… I'd give this all up if I could just see her face again."_

"_Zuko! I'm right here!" This time I knelt beside Mai so I was level with Zuko's eyes. Reaching my hand forward, I placed my hand on his shoulder crying, "I'm alive! I'm alive!" My hand just went through him again, since I wasn't really there._

_My brother made no reaction to me, and suddenly my surroundings became hazy as I lost my dream._

Waking up, I groaned as I felt my head split into pain. What happened?

"She's awake!" Someone cried.

"Feel her forehead. See if her fevers gone down," another voice said.

A hand pressed on my forehead, and I slowly opened my eyes to see who it belonged to. "We're good… She's fine," someone said.

"About time… Princess, you had us worried."

My senses suddenly came back to me, and I looked around with surprise. Kale was on his knees beside me, his hand pressed against my forehead. He looked relieved to see I was okay. Toph stood in the cave, and I saw her smile glad to see I was finally awake. Katara was on the other side of me, and I saw she too was elated to see me awake. Aang stood behind her, looking down at me with a sigh.

"What happened?" I asked, pushing Kale's hand away from me and going to sit up. It was as I sat up that my head rushed and I slumped back. Kale caught me placing his arm around my back to support me.

"Don't move so fast," Katara said. "You've had a high fever for the last twenty-four hours."

"A fever?" I asked, then thought back. Most of what had happened was a blur, but I could remember bits and pieces. Kale carrying me in the cave… Katara's healing water… The tea… The nightmare… The dream of Gran-Gran… The dream of Zuko…

Groaning, I sat up on my own and held my pulsing head in my hands. "I feel like I was run over by Appa." My whole body was heavy and sore, and I realized my mouth was very dry and my voice sounded hoarse.

Kale chuckled, and with relief he hugged me to him. At first I was confused to why he was so happy, but I decided it didn't matter. Immediately I shut my eyes as Kale's embrace comforted me. When he pulled away, I was thankful to find Aang had a cup of water in his hand and he was holding it toward me.

Taking the cup, I thanked him and drank it down happy to quench my thirst. When I was done, I hung my head and stared down at the cup. "Sorry for worrying everyone."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You got sick. Your body may be stronger but that doesn't mean you're a hundred percent okay, Amber. You were struck by lightning in the heart. You may not be back to your full strength for a few more weeks," Katara said. "You overdid it the other day, and your body was letting you know that."

"I feel so useless though," I muttered. "All I ever do is cause you guys worry… All I ever seem to do is get in everyone's way."

Zhao's words came back to me. _"You're so pathetic! Your father say's you have to die before you ruin his plans, but I honestly don't see what you could possibly do. You're a weak, good for nothing, little freak, who can't even fire bend when told to."_

Shutting my eyes tightly, I tried to push his words back. He was right though. What could I possibly do to stop my father? If I couldn't even use fire bending without getting sick, how was I supposed to fight my dad and win?

"Amber… If you hadn't got in my way back in Ba Sing Sei, then I'd be dead," Aang said.

"Yeah… And we're family. We're supposed to worry about each other," Katara spoke up.

Toph added, "If you don't want us to worry then stop acting like your invincible all the time. You don't have to fight in every battle, Amber." That's the first time I'd heard Toph say my actual name in a long time.

Looking at my family with surprise, I smiled a bit at what they all said, comforted by their kindness.

Kale spoke last. "You're not useless… You saved that village two days ago, and other villages in the past. You risked your life to save Aang. You helped mend your uncle back to health after he was shot by lightning. You took down Zhao back at the North Pole. You've done so much for this world, Amber… You've shown this world that not all fire benders are evil."

I felt grateful for their words. They all were definitely making me feel better. "Thanks guys… That means a lot."

A few hours passed, and I managed to get to my feet and walk around trying to get my strength back. Sokka came back to the cave when the sun outside was starting to set, and he looked utterly relieved to see I was awake and back to what strength I had. After he hugged me with relief, I asked him how his training with Master Piandao was going.

Sokka beamed. "Great! Master Piandao is an amazing teacher!"

I smiled glad to see Sokka was happy.

It was two days after my fever had broken, that Sokka asked us to help him make a sword. We were all a bit puzzled by what he was asking, but at the same time we were glad he wanted our help. In the end we all went with Sokka to help him prepare his sword. Toph used her earth bending to roll the meteor up a large hill toward a giant stone building that almost seemed castle like. It had red roofs with gold trim making it Fire Nation. The building was built on a cliff, and there was a giant stone wall going around it.

Walking up to the large wooden doors that led into the massive yard, the wooden doors swung open and a man came into view. This man was clearly Fire Nation, his face rough like many of the soldiers I'd met in the past. He did not have pale skin though, which surprised me. I assumed his lack of pale skin was because he was outside a lot. He was older, maybe in his fifties. He had black hair in a topknot, a thin black beard around his mouth, and gray eyes. He wore dark red fire nation clothing that looked loose and made for flexibility.

"Who's this?" he asked Sokka, looking at the rest of us with surprise and curiosity. When he looked over at me, I saw something flash through his eyes. It was almost like recognition. Did he know who I was?

"Oh, these are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks," Sokka said, his voice breaking a bit at his lie. The man bowed to us in acknowledgement. Sokka continued. "Do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite?"

The man stared at the giant black space matter with amazement, then surprise, then pleasure. He stepped up to the rock and placed his hand on it testing the hard material. He looked serious as he said, "We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world."

We followed the man then through the large gate, Sokka and Kale managing to roll the meteorite along. We walked around the giant area's massive yard, and it was then I noticed how huge the building master Piandao lived in actually was. It stretched almost fifty feet tall, probably had four floors, and was a massive fortress.

We reached a separate stone building from the main building, and we were told to stay outside as Sokka, Piandao, and some man who had almost a baboon face like Zhao, went in to work on the sword. It seemed like we sat outside the forgery place for hours, and we heard the sound of clinking and hissing as Sokka molded his sword with his own strength.

As we waited, my mind started to wander.

"_I don't deserve to be happy. I don't deserve to be here… I'd give this all up if I could just see her face again."_

Seeing Zuko so heartbroken and filled with regret made me heartbroken myself. My brother regretted betraying me. My brother was grieving over my death more than I would've wanted him to if I really were dead. I didn't want him blaming himself. I didn't want him thinking that my "death" was his fault.

I wanted Zuko to be happy…

Then another thought suddenly hit me.

How was it that I could see Zuko and Mai? That dream was not a memory, so did I somehow spirit travel. Did my spirit leave my human body on its own free will so I could see my brother?

The thought actually terrified me.

"You okay?" Kale suddenly asked, and I jumped a bit when I heard his voice. Looking over at him with question from where I saw on the stone step, I saw he was seated beside me and staring at me with worry. "How are you feeling? You look kind of pale again." He reached forward to touch my forehead but I stopped him.

"I don't have a fever, Kale," I promised, lowering both his hand and my own.

Aang, who sat on the step below me, looked over and asked, "Anything you want to talk about? You had some crazy nightmares the other day."

Shaking my head, I said softly, "No… I'm fine."

Toph- who sat beside Katara on the step above Kale and I- muttered, "Liar." I shot her a glare though I knew she couldn't see.

Silence fell over us again, and the sounds of Sokka's hard work on his sword came to a stop. We heard footsteps approach a moment later, and we all got to our feet turning around to see Sokka, Piandao, and the baboon faced man emerge from the forgery.

Sokka beamed as he held a black smooth very sharp looking sword in his hand. The blade was made out of molded and sharpened meteorite, and the handle had gold trim on it to add color. We were led back to the front of Master Piandao's giant fortress, and the man took the sword from Sokka so he could officially present it to him. We all stood behind the man as Sokka kneeled in front of him.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me… No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that. Creativity, versatility, intelligence... these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you." The man kneeled then in front of Sokka and handed the sword to him pleased at his student's progress. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

At first I expected Sokka would beam at these compliments. I expected my brother would be elated that his master was so proud of him. He showed no sign of that though. Instead, he rested the sword on his knees as if it was heavy, and he hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong. I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." Sokka's words made us all gawk. "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry."

Piandao turned away enough so I could see him frown. "I'm sorry too," the man softly said.

As fast as lightning, the man drew his own sword from his waist and lashed it at Sokka. My brother was fast, his own sword meeting the masters and blocking his attack sending sparks. We all watched with both terror and amazement.

Katara, and Aang took a few steps forward as if to intervene, but Sokka shook his head. "No… This is my fight, alone."

The two swordsmen broke apart and then began to square off in the large yard we were in. The baboon man told us all to step back and we found ourselves standing on the top of the steps that led to the main buildings door. When I saw the door I was surprised. There was a white lotus painted on the wood. My eyes widened as I recognized the symbol.

The white lotus…

The sound of swords crashing into each other brought my attention back, and I turned my eyes over to Sokka and Piandao, horrified when I saw they were fighting roughly. This was not training, nor was Piandao going easy on Sokka. He looked like he was actually trying to slice my brother in two. Sokka dodged Piandao's attacks well though, blocked his stabs with agility and balance, and swiftly escaped the blade of his opponent. He looked like he was filled with nothing but determination as he fought the man who looked determined as well.

As the two men fought, Kale said beside me, "I know who I'm getting to teach me sword fighting. Sokka is a master."

I knew what Kale was saying. Sokka was amazing. He was unlike any fighter I'd ever seen. It seemed like the sword and him were one, and he showed no sign of doubt in himself.

Then something terrifying happened. Sokka's sword flew from his grasp and landed about eight feet away. Piandao smashed his arm into Sokka sending my brother flying onto his back. Then the man pointed his sword at Sokka's head and we all rushed down the steps ready to stop the fight.

He pulled the sword away though, causing us all to come to a halt in surprise. Then he said with sincerity, "Excellent work Sokka."

We were all confused now.

The man wasn't trying to kill my brother? It looked like it from the distance…

The man sheathed his sword, and then glanced back at us, his wise eyes holding laughter in them. He smiled at us, then said to Aang, "I think I'm a little old to be fighting the avatar."

We were all shocked.

"How did you know?" Aang asked, bewildered. Sokka was to his feet now, and the baboon man who was named Fat, brought Piandao a cloth and a cup of tea.

"Oh, I've been around a while. You pick things up." He used the cloth to wipe the dirt from his face, and then took the cup with gratefulness. We were all still staring at him with amazement. "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe. You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try "Lee." There's a million "Lees"."

I winced at the name, my thoughts clouding with my brother Zuko again. I immediately tried to push them away.

My sister spoke for the first time, distracting my thoughts which I was grateful. "But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?"

The man smiled kindly at my sister, handing his cup and cloth back to Fat. "The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." He walked over to Sokka's sword now and picked it up from the ground. Walking back over to Sokka, he handed it to him and Sokka took it with a smile. "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know that one day you will become an even greater master than I am."

Sokka beamed at his master's words. Fat brought over a leather sheath to Sokka now, and Sokka placed his sword inside. Sokka bowed to his master, thanked him for his teaching, and then gestured for us all to head out. As we started to leave the place, Piandao stopped us.

"Oh, and Amber…" Piandao began. Looking back at him, I was surprised he'd spoken to me. The others had stopped too, curious to know why the man was speaking to me, and amazed he knew who I was. "We're all glad to know you're alive."

His words took me off guard for a moment.

We're?

My eyes widened. I knew where I'd seen the white lotus symbol now. The secret society my uncle was a part of. The men who managed to get us our passports and jobs in the city. The White Lotus…

Master Piandao was a part of the same secret club my uncle was a part of.

Smiling, I turned fully to him and bowed. "Thanks," I said, and I truly meant it. Then standing straight, I frowned with worry as I asked, "Is he okay?"

Master Piandao knew exactly who I was talking about. His eyes softened when he heard the pain in my voice. "He is the strongest and wisest out of all of us. You do not need to worry about him." Master Piandao turned then and walked away from us. I felt relieved knowing my uncle was okay.

When we left the place finally, there was an awkward silence as everyone tried to contemplate what had occurred. Fat stopped us on the way out, handing Sokka a Pai Sho tile with a white lotus on it. My family looked at it puzzled, and I smiled knowing now what it symbolized.

When we got back to the cave finally, where we'd left Appa and Momo, I was interrogated.

"What was that back there?" Katara asked.

"He knew who you were!" Aang exclaimed.

"Did you two know each other?" Sokka asked.

"That was weird," Toph muttered.

"Guys! Give her some air," Kale snapped.

Everyone was crowding me and making me back away anxiously. It was Kale who stepped in between to try and free me from the interrogation. "Master Piandao knew who Aang was, so of course he knew who Amber was."

"But Amber…"

I cut Aang off, saying softly, "He knows my uncle… I was just asking him if Iroh was okay."

The group looked at me in surprise.

"How does he know your uncle?" Sokka asked.

Shrugging, I answered, "The world's a small place after all." Then I turned and left the group to ponder over that. As I walked away, I noticed something was really off. Stopping dead in my tracks, I felt my heart rate increase as I realized what felt different.

The connection between Huo and I… The connection was gone. When Huo and I were connected, I knew it because I felt like my spirit was being weighed down. Now, I felt light, like my spirit was free.

My thoughts went back to the dream I'd had about Zuko. Did I travel by spirit to see my brother? Was I able to control my own spirit now?

Looking down at my hand, I created fire in my palm and a purple flame tickled at my skin. This flame was different from the others I'd created in the past though. This flame felt so warm and so light. It felt like it was a part of me, and only me. It was my flame… my very own flame.

Had I somehow broken the connection from Huo?

"Amber?" Kale asked, and I jumped at his voice. Turning, I looked over at the others to see they had all noticed my abrupt stop and looked ten times more worried.

Stopping my flame, I felt tears fill my eyes as my spirit burned inside me with freedom. Was it true? Had I somehow broke the connection?

"_You have become a powerful spirit Amber… too powerful for Huo to control… You yourself broke the connection," _Roku answered.

_What! How! _I cried in my head.

"_Huo granted your spirit life Amber, but now your spirit has become its own." _Roku's words still confused me. He tried to help in a way my uncle would've._ "Huo was the tree, and you were the acorn. You have fallen from him and become your own tree."_

Though I thought it was kind of funny Roku was comparing Huo and I to a tree, I let my laughter sink beneath my shock.

"Amber… What's wrong?" Kale suddenly asked, and I was surprised when he grabbed my shoulders shaking me a bit to get some answers.

"I'm free," I whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you guys liked this chapter. Just to show you guys how sorry I am this took so long, I'm posting the next chapter too. **


	6. Battles won

"So let me get this straight," my sister Katara began, her blue eyes looking as confused as they were when I first started speaking. We were all on Appa's saddle, flying above the clouds in the sky. The sun was beating down on us, but we ignored the heat and focused more on our conversation.

We'd spent one more night in the cave, and in the morning we set off to head on toward the meeting place for the invasion. After Roku had spoken to me yesterday, I'd kind of been quiet in thought all through the night and morning. My family was worried about me, but they could tell I didn't really want to talk yet and so they left it alone. When we got on Appa's saddle later that morning, and the giant flying-bison took off in the sky, I finally told them what was going. Now Katara was trying to understand.

"You're saying that the connection between you and Huo is completely gone?"

Nodding, I pulled my knees closer to my chest. "Roku told me that my spirit is now so powerful, that it no longer needs to be connected to Huo. He said that my spirit has become my own. Huo has no more control over me."

"And you can speak to Roku still because of the bracelet?" Sokka asked, sitting beside Katara with even more confusion. All this spirit stuff was probably too much for everyone to gather.

Nodding again, I sighed resting my chin on my knees. "I promise you guys, I'm as confused over this as everyone else is." Kale, who sat beside me, ran a hand through my hair to comfort me. I smiled a bit at the gesture.

Aang now added in, from where he sat holding Appa's reins to guide us through the air, "It's not really that confusing."

We all looked at him with question.

He released the reins and used his air bending to jump from Appa's head and land on the saddle with us. Plopping down beside Toph, who was listening to what was happening, Aang continued.

"It's all pretty simple when you think about it. When you were born, Amber, Huo granted you're human body life by placing some of his spirit in you. You and Huo may have been connected before, but now you're starting to get a hold of your own spirit. You were so determined to break the connection that your spiritual half actually did. I think that fever you had the other day was your spirit finally tearing from Huo."

Now I was bewildered. "If my spirit was breaking from Huo, I think I would've felt it!"

"You probably did feel it, but the strain was too much on your body that you just don't remember. When you woke up from your fever you were really out of it," Aang said. "You said the only things you really recall were your dream of Zhao, the water tribe, and going to see Zuko. You had some other dreams though, Amber. We had to wake you up a few times from some pretty scary nightmares you were having."

"I don't remember any of them," I whispered, only recalling the three I could remember.

Aang continued. "And that's because your human body could only handle so much. When your spirit finally broke from Huo, that's when you freely traveled in spirit to see Zuko. You woke up after that because your body was finally at peace. The battle inside you was over."

"I still find it strange," I said. "Why could I suddenly break the connection when I couldn't do it before?"

"Your spirit has become strong. I can see it. I think your spirit became stronger than even Huo's, and he could no longer keep a hold on you," Aang said.

Now I smiled. "So then it's true… I really am free. The connections been broken…"

Aang smiled back. "See… You didn't even need the avatar's help."

His words comforted me as I realized what he was saying. I'd broken the connection myself… I was stronger than Huo now…

I was free.

**Third Person POV**

Huo growled, his piercing gold eyes burning with fire as he gripped his fists tightly. He was furious at what that girl had done. He felt the connection break as soon as she did it. It was almost like that girl had taken a sword and sliced it through the air, cutting the strings that Huo had tied tightly around her. Her spirit had become too powerful. Huo had begun to sense this when the girl left the spirit world a while ago. He should've kept her with him. He shouldn't have let her go.

Slamming his fist on the arm of his flaming throne, the fire increased around him as he tried to gather his thoughts. He could no longer feel that girl's spirit, and he could no longer sense where her spirit was. He had to get to the human world. He had to face the girl and try to regain control. All his work would be for nothing if he didn't.

He would not allow that girl to get away from him.

"Why the sour look, Huo?" Roku asked suddenly. The wise old spirit was stepping through the wall of fire that shot up at the entrance to Huo's large throne room. "Don't tell me your upset?"

Roku's eyes held delight as he saw the enraged spirit before him. He knew his great- granddaughter's spirit had broken from Huo. He knew that Amber was finally free. He was proud of her for being so strong and successful.

"Don't look so surprised, Roku," Huo spat sarcastically. He stood, fire spewing from his feet and hands. This fire was strong and fierce, showing his anger. "I know you had something to do with this!"

Roku smiled now, calmly saying, "Sorry to disappoint you, but this was all Amber."

Huo growled. "How did that girl escape me?!"

"She's more powerful than you, Huo. She's always been more powerful than you."

The spirit of fire scowled, and then stomped past Roku toward the wall of fire. "I'm going to the human world," he hissed.

He stormed through the wall of fire and disappeared behind the smoldering flames. Roku watched him go with leveled eyes. When Huo was gone, Roku shut his eyes to try and speak to Amber.

"_You might have company very soon, Amber."_

**Amber POV**

My heart jumped a bit when Roku suddenly spoke to me. We'd landed about an hour ago after a long day of flying. Everyone was beginning to prepare for much needed sleep. Katara and Kale prepared some soup and tea, while Toph went to go get some kindle for the fire. Sokka was passing down sleeping bags to me from Appa's saddle, and Aang was patting Appa thanking him for his hard work. Momo was already curled up asleep beside Appa.

When Sokka passed down another sleeping bag, I wasn't paying attention this time having heard Roku speak to me. The sleeping bag hit me on the head and I stumbled a bit from the heavy load.

"I thought you were ready?!" Sokka said. "You okay?"

Rubbing my head, which was pulsing a bit in pain, I leaned down and picked up the sleeping bag that had rolled beside my feet. Looking up at Sokka, who was above me watching with concern, I gave him a thumb's up. "All good…. Just a little distracted."

Sokka rolled his eyes and began to climb down the saddle.

"_What do you mean I might have company?" _I asked Roku now, hugging the sleeping bag to me with a really bad feeling.

"_Huo isn't happy," _Roku answered calmly.

"_He's coming to the human world?" _I asked.

"_Yes… Be on guard."_

Something grabbed my shoulder suddenly, and I jumped looking up at my brother who looked even more concerned than before. "What's going on with you?"

Pulling from Sokka's hold, I turned away trying to mask the fear I felt inside. "Nothing… I'm just tired." Walking away, I felt my heart rate increase as I stepped to the other side of the cave to lay out the sleeping bag.

Huo was coming to the human world? He's mad at me for breaking the connection? What if he tries to hurt me? What if he tries to destroy me? What if he tries to capture my spirit again?

I just got my freedom. I wasn't ready to lose it.

That night as we crowded around the fire I'd managed to make, I listened to the conversation around me but was out of it. I assumed Huo would get to the human world through a portal or something. He'd come to the human world before to give his spiritual energy to me before I was born, so I assumed he could do it again. The thought kind of scared me. If Huo came here, then I feared he'd be too powerful for me to fight against. My chest was still injured from the lightening over a month ago, and last time I strained my body too much I had a fever. What if my human body wasn't strong enough to survive a fight against Huo?

Then it hit me… Maybe I would have to fight him in spirit?

"Amber… You okay?" Kale suddenly asked, and I jumped a bit when I saw him kneeling in front of me. His hand cupped my cheek and I saw him deeply worried.

As fake as I could, I smiled to try and reassure him I was okay. "Yeah… Just tired."

Kale looked like he was going to argue. Grabbing his hand, I held it to my cheek a little longer enjoying his warm familiar touch. Staring at him intently, I promised, "I'll be fine."

Kale could tell I was still hiding something but he didn't try to force anything out of me. That night as everyone settled and went to sleep, I lied down for a few moments having a really bad feeling. When I was sure everyone was asleep, I crawled off my sleeping bag and made my way outside of the dark cave we were in. There was a half-moon in the sky, giving off some light to the dark rocky area I was at. Walking down the rocky path barefoot, I made my way to the large lake we were near. The water lapped against the rocks and the moon reflected in the fresh liquid. A cold breeze hit me, and shivers raced up and down my spine.

"It's okay Amber… It's okay," I tried to reassure myself, but I didn't believe my own words.

Truth was, I was terrified of Huo. I wasn't ready to face him. How long would it take him to reach the human world? How long did I have to prepare?

A splash sounded in the water nearby, and I jumped turning sharply toward the sound, my heart pounding rapidly. To my relief, it was just a dark bird taking off from the water and flying off into the sky. Taking in a hard breath, I tried to calm down.

Kneeling down beside the water, I reached my hand forward and pulled some water up to splash my face and try to wipe the worries away. My heart calmed and I felt my breathing return to normal.

There was nothing to worry about? Huo wasn't going to come? If he did that would just show how crazy and controlling the spirit really was.

"There's nothing to worry about… Huo's not coming…" I reassured myself, standing back up and looking up at the moon to try and stay calm.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that!"

Immediately I gasped, my eyes widening as I sharply turned and looked at the spirit himself. Huo glowed in front of me, his gold eyes almost turning a reddish orange like the fire that was blazing inside him and around his body. His eyes were narrowed, his lips pressed firmly together, and if looks could kill I would've surely died again. The dark red robe he wore was also on fire as anger coursed through him.

"Huo…" I whispered, my blood running cold. My voice only angered him more.

"So this is how you repay me," he hissed. "After everything I've done for you. I gave you life… I gave you power… I let you return to the human world… You are truly an ungrateful child!"

Backing away, I gasped when my foot hit the water of the lake. Stepping forward again, I tried to keep calm and not show fear. Staring at Huo with determination, I said, "Ungrateful?! I didn't ask for you to give me life! I didn't ask for you to give me this power! I'm not at fault here!"

Huo scowled, walking toward me. He was only a good six yards away, and I looked around wildly for an escape. "You should be on your knees thanking me! Without me, you would've never been born!"

I got mad this time. Was he stupid? Did he forget I thanked him back in the spirit world? "I already thanked you for that! I'm not doing it again!"

The enraged spirit was only a few feet from me now. "How did you escape me?! How did you break the connection? One minute I have you in my grasp, and the next you're gone!"

I smiled, suddenly filling with confidence. "One thing you should know about me, Huo… I'm good at disappearing from people's lives."

"We'll see about that! You're not escaping me! Your spirit may be your own now, but I'm going to yank it back to the spirit world by force!"

"You know what your problem is," I began, tightening my fist ready to fight. "You're just like my father! All you care about is controlling others."

Huo growled, spitting venomously, "Don't you dare compare me to that man who abuses my gift to this world. If I had never given my fire to that Lion Turtle so long ago, this world wouldn't have fire bending!"

I was a bit confused about the lion turtle thing, but I didn't dwell on it too much.

"Oh… I get it now! You're mad because this world doesn't need you anymore. Now that I think of it, I don't even think this world ever mentions the spirit of fire. You hate this world because they stole your fire and kicked you to the curb. That's why you're so mad at me right now," I stopped for a second, just to allow my eyes to narrow. "You're mad because I stole your fire and don't need you anymore."

Huo growled, stomping forward and grabbing my human arm hard. His hand passed through, and I gasped when I felt him yank my spirit from my body. The feeling of his hand on my spirit was almost like a burning sensation. He yanked me forward, and I turned with terror to see my human body fall to the ground unconscious.

"Hey!" I cried, turning with fury toward the spirit who still had a hold of my glowing arm. "Let me go!"

Huo's grip tightened, his eyes determined as he pulled me toward him. "Not again," he hissed, and I could tell he wanted to lock me away forever. I wasn't sure if a spirit could truly be imprisoned, but I wasn't going to let Huo use me as a test trial.

Tightening my free hand, I punched my fist forward and a hard blast of purple flames shot at Huo sending him flying back from the force. His spirit hit the ground hard, and I winced when I saw him leave a trail of fire from where he slid.

"You'll regret that," Huo hissed, getting back to his feet and walking back toward me as if my hit hadn't even fazed him.

He stared hard at me, and as he did fire encircled me locking me in a sort of cage. The fire was like a wall, circling around me and blocking any escape. Immediately I gasped, staring through the hot red flames at Huo who was walking toward me. "You will not escape me!"

Shutting my eyes tightly, I really hoped I knew what I was doing. With determination, I rushed through the fire feeling the flames send a rush of warmth through my spirit as they touched me. The fire had no effect on me, and I smiled glad I hadn't burned to a crisp.

Though, I wasn't really sure if spirits could burn anyway. I wasn't going to let Huo use me as a test trial for that thought either.

Huo shot another stream of fire toward me, and I held my hands out stopping the hot red fire with my palms. The fire ended up parting around me, and I was relieved that it didn't hit me. Huo growled when he saw what I'd done, shouting, "I will not lose to you!"

We went into a full blown fight then, his fire shooting at me and my fire shooting at him. It came to the point where he was only a few inches away from me, and his hands held flamed daggers which he swung at me. He was outraged that I had broken the connection, and I had a feeling he wouldn't rest until I was under his control again or even dead.

Shooting another blast at him, I watched as he tried to block it but slid back a few feet. When the fire extinguished, he gritted his teeth and shot another blast of hot fire toward me.

"How long are we going to do this for?" I asked, jumping out of the way from another blast of fire directed toward me.

"As long as it takes for you to accept defeat!" Huo hissed.

He tightened his fist then and I gasped when I watched with horror as fire suddenly started to trail toward my unconscious human body. "Stop!" I cried, turning to Huo who gave me a malicious grin.

"Without your human body, you'll have no choice but to-"

"No!" I cried, shooting a harsh blast of purple fire his way. My fire smashed into him hard, throwing him back a good ten yards. Looking back, I sighed with relief to see the hot fire had vanished from near my human body as Huo lost concentration.

Turning back to Huo, I saw him glare daggers at me as he got back to his feet. "I've had it with you! I'm done playing nice! You just signed your death wish girl!" His whole body suddenly encased with fire, as if he were a flame himself. His eyes glowed a bright glowing reddish orange as he stalked toward me in his monstrous fire form. His man like appearance was gone, and in his place was fire that had the shape of a human.

"I am the spirit of fire! There can't be two!" he growled, and his voice caused fire to spew from his flaming mouth.

Honestly, I was beyond terrified. This was no longer the young looking spirit who held the appearance of a twenty year old man. This spirit was a full blown fire monster now, and he looked ready to kill me.

He rushed at me, and I gasped as he flew toward me like a flame being thrown through the air. His spirit smashed hard into me, and I screamed as I actually felt my spirit burn from his touch. He slammed me hard on the ground, and I winced as fire burned into my spirit. I didn't think you could actually feel anything through your spirit alone, but Huo's hold on me burned worse than Zhao's inflictions. He grabbed my throat, his flame of a hand causing me to scream even more from the smoldering heat I felt. My vision blurred as I felt him try to kill my spirit.

"Not so strong now, are you?" the fire from Huo's mouth hit my face, and I gasped at the burning pain.

No… No… I was not ready to die. I assumed if my spirit died, I would cease to exist. I was not going to let that happen.

Somehow, I managed to reach my hand up and I grabbed Huo's blazing face with my hand. His eyes widened as I concentrated on the fire that consumed his body.

Stop! Stop! Stop!

The fire began to die each time I shouted in my head.

A new determination filled within me._ "Stop… this is not what fire is used for… This is not supposed to be the true meaning of fire… Fire is not destruction… Fire is not death… Fire is life! You do not deserve to control such a beautiful gift as this!" _my voice came out in almost an echo, and I felt strong as I controlled the fire inside Huo. I felt the flames, I felt his spirit, and I felt the power flowing inside him. _"You do not deserve to be the spirit of fire!" _

Huo screamed in agony as I extinguished the fire inside him. As I stopped the flames coursing through his body, I began to feel his power fade from inside him. As his power faded, I felt my own grow. The flames around Huo receded, his appearance of a man returning and the monstrous form he'd taken on was leaving. As he came back to being the red haired, golden eyed spirit I didn't utterly fear, I almost sighed with relief.

Shoving him off of me, I didn't have to do much because he was in shock. He stood and backed away, his eyes wide as he stared at me with horror.

Getting back to my own feet, I finally relaxed and felt at ease, glad that Huo hadn't ended my spirit. When I looked back at Huo, I saw him looking at his hands with terror. "No… What have you done… My fire… It's gone!" He looked up at me with terror.

"You've lost Huo… Amber has won." Huo and I jumped and turned to Roku in surprise. He was standing a few yards away, right beside my unconscious but not burnt human form, and I saw he was pleased with what had just occurred. "Well done Amber… You put up an amazing fight. I'm proud."

Looking a bit puzzled, I went to ask him something but Huo cut me off.

"What did you do to me!" he shouted, and I saw him clutching his hair with terror.

Looking away from Roku now, I frowned almost feeling bad for the spirit in front of me. He looked upset, his spirit shaking as he realized his control was gone.

"I took your fire bending away," I said calmly, as if knowing the answer right away. "You and Roku once told me that my mission is to show the world what the true meaning of fire is, and I am going to do just that. You have been abusing your fire, Huo. You have been using it to control me, which is definitely not what fire truly is designed for. You no longer deserve to hold such a power."

"You can't just steal away my fire! Without it I'm just a… I'm just…"

"A spirit," I stated.

Huo looked at me with fury again. "Give it back!" he ordered.

Roku sighed. "It's no longer yours Huo. Your days of tormenting Amber are over. Just give up."

"No!" Huo shouted, falling on his knees and clutching his hair. "Why? Why! I was in control! I was fire! It's gone! My power is gone!" He looked like he was losing it, his spirit slowly dying on the inside as he realized he was just a spirit now. He had no control over fire. He had no more control over me. He was falling apart.

Walking over to him, I knelt in front of him kind of feeling bad. "Huo… I'm sorry…" I placed my hand on his tense shoulder. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Huo scowled, shoving me away. I stood and backed away with sadness. Huo was controlling, yes, but he had good intentions at times. Even though he had just tried to kill me, I felt bad for being the cause of all his pain.

Getting to his feet, he hissed, "I'm done with this world. I'm done with you filthy humans! You all can rot! I hope you end up destroying this world! That power you possess now will be too powerful for you!"

Roku suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're wrong about that… Amber is more powerful than you'll ever be. You see Huo, your missing one thing that Amber has…" Huo looked at Roku with narrowed eyes as he continued. "… You're missing a heart."

Huo snarled, turned on his heel, and stormed off spitting, "Who needs a stupid heart!" His spirit disappeared as he walked farther away, and immediately I felt pure relief inside me.

Roku still had a hand on my shoulder, and I heard him say, "Don't worry about him. His pride has been shot down. He'll get over it in the next three hundred years."

Looking back at Roku, I smiled a bit at what he said. Turning fully, I threw my arms around my great-grandfathers neck relieved to finally be free. Roku wrapped his arms around me, saying, "I am so proud of you."

"How did I do it though?" I asked, pulling away from him. "Was I really that much stronger than Huo?"

"That burning hope inside you was the key, Amber. That's another thing Huo was without. You were more powerful, because you were more determined to win," Roku said. "You are stronger than Huo, and now you're stronger than even me."

Roku began to walk off now, and as he did I stopped him. "Hey Roku," I began.

He turned toward me with question.

"Thanks... for everything… I promise I'm going to help Aang and my family restore peace to this world at last."

Roku nodded. "You're the spirit of fire. If anyone can restore peace, then it's definitely you."

He disappeared then, and I smiled watching him go.

I was free…

Walking back to my body, which was still unconscious by the water, I managed to rest back inside and reconnect with the human world. My body was sore from the fall it had endured, but I ignored the pain as I stood back up and stared at my hands with a smile.

Free at last.

Lighting a flame in my palms, I watched with amazement as my fire turned into a vast array of colors now. There were reds, yellows, oranges, blues, purples, and so many other beautiful colors that drew me in. It felt so good to be back.

It felt so good to be free.

Somehow I made it back to the cave and back to my sleeping bag. It wasn't until I had started walking back to the cave that I realized how utterly exhausted I felt. When I got back, I tiptoed around everyone and inched my way back to my spot beside Katara. Landing on my sleeping bag, I didn't even curl up inside it as exhaustion took me over.

When I woke up in the morning it was because Sokka was shaking my shoulder saying, "Come on! Wakey wakey!"

Groaning, I opened my eyes and stared at my brother groggily. His eyes widened and he backed away with shock. His mouth was in an 'o' shape and his eyes looked amazed. Staring at him with confusion, I asked, "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer me, and instead rushed over to the others who were slowly packing up their own sleeping bags. Sokka was starting to really confuse me.

Getting up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes trying to wake up. When I was a bit more awake, I ran a hand through my hair pulling at the tangles it had. When I got to my feet and looked at the others, they were all staring at me with amazement. Toph wasn't though, since she wasn't seeing what everyone else was seeing.

"Um… Amber," Katara began. "Not that I don't love it and all, but how did you do it? And why?"

Now I was taken aback by what my sister said. "Huh?" I asked, staring at her with even more confusion.

"Your hair!" Katara exclaimed, answering me.

Now I was really confused. Pulling a portion of hair in front of me, I saw my long black strands like I always did. There was something different though.

My own eyes widened now. Rushing over to Katara's bag lying against the wall of the cave, I rummaged inside for the mirror she'd bought during our time in the Earth Kingdom. Pulling the small circular mirror out, I looked at my reflection and my jaw dropped. My hair was still long and black, but there were fire red highlights going through it.

"My hair!" I cried.

The others watched me, surprised that I was surprised by my new hair color.

"So… You didn't do this?" Kale asked, and I could tell he was confused by my reaction.

Thinking back to everything that had happened last night, I wondered if maybe the new power coursing through me was the main cause for my new hairstyle. Now that I thought about it, something else felt different.

Pressing a hand to my chest, I felt no pain. I felt no discomfort. It felt perfectly fine.

My new strength had healed me!

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, suddenly back in front of me and grabbing my shoulders with burning question. "You've been acting strange since yesterday."

Kale now added in, "What happened to you?"

Blushing now, I said, "It's kind of a long story… Everyone might want to sit down for this."

They were all confused.

**Third Person POV**

"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island. It's gonna be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing," Ty Lee exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Zuko scowled, his fists clenching as he stared at the passing waters below. They were on a small fire nation vessel being pulled by a giant sea lion fish, and they were headed to Ember Island. It was a little later in the morning, so the sun was just creeping up to the middle of the sky. Zuko's father was sending them off on a vacation, but Zuko knew what it really was. His father just wanted them all out of the way for a few days.

Amber had been right. Ozai cared squat about his children.

"Doing nothing is a waste of time. We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child," Zuko spat, clutching the railing of the ship with annoyance. He didn't want to go to Ember Island. He didn't want to remember things from his past. All he wanted to do was go back to the palace and hide away from the world like he'd been doing for the last month.

Azula let out an exasperated sigh and walked over to Zuko, who quickly turned away from her not really wanting her crap. He still blamed her immensely for Amber's death.

"Lighten up. So dad wants to meet with his advisors alone... without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula nodded. "We used to come every summer when we were kids. We came a little less after Amber had first disappeared, but we still came."

At the name Amber everyone on the ship, except for Azula, winced. Zuko clenched his teeth and tightened his fists to keep from losing his emotions again. A soft gentle hand overlapped his own which was sitting on the ship railing. Zuko glanced over at Mai and saw her hold both pain and worry on her face.

"She'd want you to be happy… Try and enjoy yourself."

Zuko pulled from Mai's hand, crossed his arms, and looked out toward the seas horizon. "I don't deserve to be happy." Turning on his heel, he left the three girls on deck to go to the other side of the ship where he could be alone. They watched him go, and Azula frowned a bit.

"He'll get over it one day," she said, then turned back to look at the ocean.

Mai and Ty Lee shared a glance, and Mai shook her head knowing fully well Zuko would blame himself for the rest of his life.

**Amber POV**

We were all seated in a sort of circle, Momo seated on my lap as I pat his ears nonchalantly. The others in the circle looked amazed and at a loss for words at everything I'd just told them.

Aang was the first to speak after a long awkward silence. "So you're the spirit of fire now?"

Nodding, I held my head down a bit in sadness. "Yeah… Taking Huo's power was the only way to stop him. I feel bad for doing it, but he left me no choice."

"You feel bad? The guy tried to kill you!" Toph exclaimed. "You had every right to do what you did!"

Grimacing, I pictured the hate in Huo's eyes. He really had wanted me dead.

"Well look at the bright side to all of this," Kale suddenly broke in. "Amber's healed, Huo's out of our hair, and now we have the spirit of fire on our side to beat the Fire Nation. Add in the fact that everyone believes Aang and Amber our dead, and no one suspects were the enemy, and I say our lucks multiplying by the day."

"So optimistic," Katara said. "Great to have you in the group, Kale."

Smiling weakly, I said, "Yeah… I guess you're right, Kale."

Sokka stood from where he was seated beside me, saying, "Well now that we all know what's been going on in Amber's head, I say we hit the sky. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Actually, if we keep flying straight there we should be there in three weeks. We're almost to the island," Kale said.

Sokka sighed. "Good. Then let's do just that."

After we packed up, we were flying again through the air. Scooting beside Kale, I leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around me. His hand brushed through my new highlights as I rested my head on his chest. Closing my eyes, I listened to his heart beat and smiled at his warmth.

Thank goodness I defeated Huo, because I couldn't imagine never being able to see Kale again.

Eventually we stopped for a lunch break and as we did Aang decided it would be fun to go swimming. We all protested, but he ignored us ripping his fire nation shirt off and jumping in the water near us. We were in one of the many craters of the rocky island we'd reached, and there was water flowing in the crater. The crater's walls rose up around us almost making a sort of bowl. As Aang swam, the rest of us sat by the water doing other things.

Sokka looked over some maps, Katara redid her hair, Toph lied back shutting her eyes, Momo and Appa were chattering and groaning at each other, Kale was sharpening his sword, and I was staring at them all in disbelief.

We were bound to get caught like this.

"Are you sure Aang should be swimming? He could be seen!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "By who… Last I checked there aren't people for miles."

Aang resurfaced from where he'd dived under the water, spitting some out of his mouth and grinning like a little kid who was having a blast. The only thing that made me anxious about it all was that he was swimming with his tattoos in the wide open.

"Princess has a point…" Toph began, then sat up and looked in Aang's direction. "Aang, I know swimming is fun and all, but do you really think you should be exposing yourself like that. Cover up!"

Aang floated on his back nonchalantly, saying, "What? I'm wearing trunks.

Now I added in, "We know...it's your tattoos we're worried about. What if someone sees you?"

Katara waved both Toph and I off. "There are walls all around us. It's completely safe."

Kale stood now and sheathed his sword. Walking over to me, he said, "It will be fine. You don't have to worry all the time."

"Sure I do… Danger always seems to find us!"

Kale smirked. "Props of being with the avatar I guess."

Aang suddenly hollered, and we immediately turned our attention to him only to find he was nowhere to be seen. "Aang!" we all shouted at the same time, and then we were racing out of the crater and trying to slide down to Aang. When we got down the crater and managed to reach the stream that Aang was now in, we saw he had originally disappeared through a sort of water way tunnel.

"Let's do it again!" he exclaimed. It was then I noticed Momo was on his head, the little guy shaking and wet.

When he had hopped on Aang's head?

**Third Person POV**

The four teenagers were seated on the crowded beach, watching as fire nation citizens ran by laughing and giggling like the war wasn't even happening. The water in front of them was indeed beautiful, and the sun above them felt nice on their skin.

Ty Lee was sprawled out on a blanket, wearing a white two piece bathing suit. Her hair was in a long braid like she always had it, and she was using a fire nation boy's shadow for shade.

Azula sat on her own blanket, her eyes squinted as the sun shined brightly on her. She too was wearing a two piece, only hers was red. She glowered at Ty Lee with jealousy, wishing a guy would come over so she too could use one for shade.

Mai and Zuko were huddled under an umbrella, both of them in their own beach attire and looking bored. Zuko was wearing red pants that didn't pass his knees, and he also wore a sort of robe so his upper body wasn't exposed. Mai sat beside him wearing a red two piece where the top had nothing holding it up.

Zuko let out a heavy sigh, unable to believe they were actually at this place. He wanted to go back to the palace. He wanted to mope over Amber's death. He wanted to just be alone.

"I hate the beach," Mai muttered, making Zuko jump at the sudden break of silence between the two of them.

After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah… me too."

Mai shot Zuko a glance, and she immediately saw the pained look on his face. She knew how much he was hurting on the inside. She knew how much he was blaming himself. She knew how much she herself was enraged with Azula.

Mai blamed Azula more than anyone for her friend's death. Azula shot the lightning… Azula didn't show any sign of grieving for Amber's death. Mai wanted to slice Azula with her knives so terribly.

"Amber!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Zuko's eyes widened and he looked across the beach at a seven year old girl who was playing by the water. Another girl of similar age was with her.

"No! It's Ember! Mommy said Ember Island!" the other girl corrected her friend.

"Amber!"

Zuko winced.

"Ember!"

"Amber!"

Zuko winced again.

"Ember!"

"Am-"

"It's Ember Island! Go look it up!" the girl shouted, ending the little quarrel.

Zuko was frowning deeply now, his head spinning once again with thoughts of Amber. Mai noticed, taking his hand in hers to comfort him. While she did this, Azula walked up to them saying, "Hey, beach bums, we're playing next. Ty Lee, get over here now!" She gestured over to the beach volleyball game occurring.

Zuko and Mai both groaned.

**Amber POV**

So here we were, the time was a little after noon, and we were flying once more through the sky on Appa. That's all we ever seemed to do.

"Hey… When we take down my father once and for all, do you think we can stay on the ground for more than a week?" I asked.

Toph raised her hand. "I second that!"

Katara sighed, sitting across from me and staring out across the clouds we were above. "It would be nice to get to relax. I have a feeling it won't be easy though after the war. This world's going to have a lot of repairing to do."

Now I frowned, a thought suddenly coming to me. What would become of Zuko and Azula when we defeated father?

"Um… Just wondering… What will happen to Zuko and Azula?" I asked.

The group suddenly looked at me with surprise at my question, and I saw Katara frown when she saw the pain on my face.

"They can't be trusted, Amber! We're going to have to lock them up probably," Sokka said before Katara could speak. "Serves them both right anyway, all the pain they've put us through."

"Sokka!" Katara snapped.

"Well it's true! Might as well tell her now!"

Kale hugged me close to him. I pulled my knees close my chest. "Maybe we could-"

"What? Give them a choice?! Azula tried to kill you, and Zuko let her! Why do you care about what happens to them after everything they've done to you?!"

"Sokka, stop!" Katara snapped.

"I care because even though they put me through crap their still my family!" I cried.

Sokka gestured to everyone, his eyes kind of annoyed. "We're your family! Family doesn't shoot each other with lightning!"

"But…" I began. "Zuko… he's just…"

"What? Misunderstood? He's just like his father! All he cares about is power!"

Hanging my head, I said, "You're wrong, Sokka. He's just confused. He doesn't understand what he wants. I saw him… He regrets it all."

Sokka went to say something else, but he stopped. He could see the pain on my face.

An awkward silence fell between us, and I could tell Sokka was looking for the words to say. Taking in a hard sigh, he finally said, "Look… We'll cross that road when it comes… Let's just focus more on winning right now."

Numbly, I nodded letting him know I agreed.

**Third Person POV**

"I already told you. I'm not going!" Zuko snapped, stomping across the beach house they were staying in. The beach house was too old and feminine for Zuko's taste, and he didn't like the fact of being under the watch of two women who were probably in their hundreds. Lo and Li had horrible taste in décor, and they were also terrible company.

Zuko found it kind of annoying that they were stuck on the teenage group like babysitters.

Ty Lee grabbed Zuko's arm bouncing up and down with excitement. "Come on! It will be fun Zuko! A real teenage party! We never get to have fun with kids our own age!"

Zuko shook his head again. "No. I'm not going to sit at a party with a bunch of high class rich snobs."

Azula, who stood across the room with Mai, rolled her eyes. "We are high class rich snobs Zuko. We'll fit right in."

Zuko scowled. "Like I said," he turned so he was fully facing Azula. "I'm. Not. Going."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "How's about this… If you don't come with us, I'll tell dad about your night time visits to uncle."

Now Zuko tightened his fists in rage. "You're blackmailing me for a stupid party?"

She leaned forward. "Is it working?"

Zuko crossed his arms annoyed. Then he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll go for a few minutes."

"YAY!" Ty Lee cried, bouncing up and down some more with glee.

As her and Azula started to head out the door to head to the party they were all invited to earlier that day, Mai walked over to Zuko with a frown.

"You don't have to do this…" She said. "I'm sure Azula wouldn't really rat you out to your father about something like that."

Zuko frowned, hanging his head. "No… I should go. Maybe it will get my mind off of some things."

"You mean get your mind off of Amber?" Mai asked.

Zuko sighed again, turned and started to head toward the beach house door.

**Amber POV**

"Here you guys go," I exclaimed, passing everyone the small cups of tea I just filled up. We were seated beside a stream, Appa and Momo already fast asleep from their long day. The campfire we all sat around burned with beautiful colors of purple, blue, green, gold, red, and orange. My family stared at the beautiful fire in front of them with awe and bewilderment.

Handing Sokka one of the cups, he stared down at the darkened steaming water with uncertainty. "Are you sure I won't die from this?"

Rolling my eyes, I handed a cup to Kale who looked both grateful but also unsure. "Come on, I'm sure my tea won't be that bad. I've been learning from Kale."

Aang stared down at his cup with fear, and I saw Toph sniff her own with uncertainty. Katara was the first to place her own cup to her mouth. Sipping her tea, her eyes went wide and I felt my head hang in shame. She hated it… I failed.

"Amber! This tea tastes delicious!" Katara exclaimed.

Kale had taken a sip right after her, and he smiled toward where I had sat down between Aang and him. "You definitely have a gift."

Now I blushed, grabbing my own cup which Katara had kindly cooled for me with some ice. "I'm glad you guys like it."

Sokka and the others had drunk it now, and their own eyes opened in surprise. Sokka looked at me with a smirk. "Hey… I see you and Kale's future now. You two will get married, move to the earth kingdom, and set up your very own tea shop which will become the talk of the town!"

Kale laughed. "And then we'll hire you for mop duty."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Nah… After the war I'm going to become the greatest warrior you've ever seen!"

"You already are, Sokka," I said, sipping my tea and sighing with relief when it did taste really good.

Toph lied back now and stared up at the stars above. "When the wars over, I think I might actually make an earth bending school."

We were surprised by what Toph said.

Aang responded, "You'd be a great teacher Toph."

That night as everyone drifted to sleep around the fire, I stayed awake and stared up at the sky with a frown. What about Zuko… What would happen to him after the war?

**Third Person POV**

Zuko scowled, stomping down the sandy path of the beach and trying to get as far from the party as he could. The party had been nothing but a bunch of stupid teenagers gossiping or flirting with other stupid teenagers. Over all the party was a huge waste of time, and it didn't get Zuko's mind off of Amber one bit.

Zuko stared out across the ocean to the setting sun in the distance. He wondered if Amber could see the beautiful sunset from wherever she was.

Sighing heavily, Zuko continued to walk along the beach. As he went, he scanned the sand for seashells and other things that would draw his mind from the thoughts that kept creeping in.

By the time he reached his family's old stone beach house, he'd collected a conch shell, a few pretty pearls from some clams, and a purple shell that reminded him of Amber.

The sun was barely visible in the sky when he reached the porch of the beach house he hadn't been to since his mother died. Tears fell down his cheeks as he walked across the porch and stepped into the doorway of the house. It was dark inside, almost eerie. Zuko was actually scared to go inside and be reminded of the past.

He stepped in though.

The foyer was still the way it always had been, a picture of the whole family on the wall. Zuko didn't dare glance at the small black haired gold eyed girl, afraid he'd break down into hard sobs.

He was tired of crying.

Walking through the dark beach home that looked to have cobwebs and dust from years of no use, Zuko thought back to when he was younger.

"_Zuko!" Amber had exclaimed, her five year old form running across the sunlit sitting room. "Let's go make a sandcastle!"_

Zuko cringed, quickly trying to push the memory away. No… He would not think about her. It would only bring him more pain.

He hung his head heavily as he stood in the dark empty beach house alone.

**Amber POV**

Turning over on my side, I yanked my sleeping bag farther over my head trying so hard to fall asleep. Everyone else was passed out around me, but I just couldn't drift. It wasn't that I wasn't tired, because I definitely was. It was just that nothing I did seemed to let me drift into a peaceful oblivion.

We had all lied down and fallen asleep by the stream we'd found earlier. There were still craters around us hiding us from others, but even if we were safe from detection I had an unsettling feeling in my stomach. A feeling like someone was watching us.

Slowly and silently, I pushed my sleeping bag off of me and got to my feet. Walking a little ways from the others across the dark rocky surface we were on, I scanned the moonlit area for any sign of life. There was nothing.

Glancing back at the group I saw they were all fast asleep. They would freak if they woke up and saw me missing, so I decided to just be a few minutes. There was something out there though, and I was curious to find out what it was.

The crater we were in was deep, so the only way up it was to climb the rocky wall that stretched a good forty feet up. No one woke up and noticed as I began to climb up the large craters side so I could reach the top. After climbing for a good five minutes, I finally managed to grab onto the rocks at the top of the craters wall, and by this point I was out of breath. Rolling on the flat surface of the rocky earth, I wondered why we'd chosen such a deep crater to rest in.

After catching my breath, I stood and looked down below. By the light of the moon I saw the group still asleep by the body of water. Then my eyes shot to where the source of the fire happened to be.

My spirit felt something close. This something was not good though. There was something dark about it. The fire I felt from this evil source felt so near, that it made my body shiver a bit. There was something bad coming. I had a terrible feeling about it.

Tightening my fist, I silently inched my way toward the source of heat I could feel in the distance. This source of heat I immediately knew belonged to a human, but I didn't see him or her anywhere. It kind of made me nervous not knowing where the person was who was most definitely nearby.

My eyes scanned the rocky cliff I now stood on, and I tightened my fist prepared to fight. The fire inched closer, but I couldn't really place a location on where it was.

"_Caw!"_ Something suddenly cried, and I gasped as a bird flew out of nowhere and smacked right into my face. The bird sent me stumbling back and I screamed as it dug its talons in my face. Lighting a flame in my hand, I shoved my fist forward and the terrible giant bird let out a shriek and ran from my colorful fire. When the bird was off, I clutched my face where I felt warm blood trickle down my cheek.

What was with that bird?

A harsh fire suddenly erupted behind me, and I turned with a gasp to see a man who had to be almost eleven feet. His shadow loomed over me in the dark, and I backed away immediately in horror. As I backed away, I saw a metal boot on his right foot which took me off guard. Why did he have a metal boot?

The man suddenly thrust his hand forward, and I gasped when his large hand grabbed my neck and lifted me off the ground. Immediately I began to choke, my hands holding onto his for dear life as I tried to pull his hand off of me. I choked and kicked at him, struggling to escape. His grip tightened around my throat, closing my airways.

The man held me right in front of his face, his dark eyes sending even more shivers down my spine. He almost smiled when he saw the fear cross over my face. Trying to calm down, I narrowed my eyes and tightened my grip on his hand. Lighting a flame in my hand, the man howled when I burned him and dropped me to the ground.

Landing hard on my butt, I scrambled as fast as I could to scoot as far from this man as I could. He looked like he wanted to kill me.

"Stay back!" I ordered.

He sneered. "You're not my target."

"Then who is?"

He didn't answer. Instead he turned and started to head toward the edge of the cliff, and I panicked knowing immediately who his target was. He knew Aang was alive? He was going after the Avatar! Immediately, I jumped back to my feet and outstretched my hand. A huge wall of fire suddenly shot up in front of the man and he stopped in his step staring at the wall annoyed. His fists tightened and I could only imagine a scowl coming on his face. The many different colors of the fire danced across his cold face.

He suddenly took in a hard breath, and I felt the fire inside him suddenly grow and flow to his head.

To his head?

He turned suddenly, and I gasped when a harsh blast of fire shot from his forehead where I now could see a tattoo of a vertical eye. Immediately I screamed and held my hand forward stopping the blast by controlling his fire. The fire stopped about two feet from me, almost like I'd created an invisible wall that the fire couldn't pass through.

My wall of fire still raged behind the man who now looked at me with fury. His fire had cut off, and became weak again. He tightened his fist and took in another deep breath to try and fire at me again. With a quick thrust of my hand, I dimmed the fire inside him, stopping him from being able to use his strange mind bending. His eyes widened when I stopped the fire inside him, and then he looked like he was ready to kill me for certain this time.

Swinging his fist forward, he tried to punch me but I was quick. Ducking, I rushed around him and shot fire at his back sending him flying forward and hitting the rocky earth hard. While he was down, I rushed to the edge of the rocky extinguishing my wall of fire and shouted down at the teens at the bottom of the crater, "Guys! Wake up! We have to get out of here!"

My voice echoed across the air, and everyone was immediately awake and alert. As they all stared up at me with surprise and question, I turned back to the man who was back on his feet and heading toward me again. This time when he breathed I wasn't ready for his blast.

As fire shot from his head again, I thrust my hand forward to block it but the force of the blow sent me flying back. My body flew over the cliffs edge, and I screamed as I fell through the air toward the bottom of the crater. Wind only rushed past my ears for a brief second though, because suddenly I felt arms wrap around my waist and I was suddenly flying instead.

Aang used his air bending to lighten both of our falls, and when we did reach the ground again Aang's air helped us land lightly on our feet.

"You okay?" Aang asked, steadying me as my body shook a bit from my fall.

Collecting myself, I scowled and shot my eyes up at the cliffs edge where the man stood staring down at us. "No… I think this guy wants to kill you Aang."

Aang's eyes widened and he immediately stared at the man as well. When he did this, I shouted, "Look out!" Grabbing Aang, I shoved him out of the way as I held a hand out toward the air. As the man shot fire from his head once more at us, I tried to shoot my hand up again to stop the fire once more.

Something hard smacked into my face again, and I cried out as sharp claws sliced my cheek again. Shoving the bird off, I stumbled back in pain. That stupid bird had come back, and it drew my attention from the attack. The fire hit me hard, and I felt the blazing hot blast send me flying back. As soon as I hit the ground, I smashed my head into the rocky earth. My vision blurred and I couldn't really see what was happening. Even my hearing was a bit out of focus.

As I started to collect myself, I heard Sokka shout from somewhere, "Everyone on Appa!" An explosion sounded a second later, and I could just see through my returning vision that Aang and the man were having a full blown fight. Aang was throwing every element he could at the man.

Hands suddenly grabbed under my arms and I was hoisted up. "Come on, Amber." Kale practically dragged me over to where the others were climbing onto Appa. Aang continued to fight the giant man in the background, and I searched through my blurred sight for him. Was he okay? Did he get hit when I got hit?

"Amber! Come on!" Sokka said, and I felt another set of hands grab one of my arms. Everything was happening so fast.

When we were on Appa, Sokka took the reins and got the giant furry guy to set off in the air. As we flew, I began to see more clearl. Trying to ignore my pounding head, I darted my eyes to the top of the crater now, where I saw Aang was still fighting the man with all the strength he could. Appa swooped down right in the nick of time, because the man's hard fire blast suddenly sent Aang flying back and falling through the air. Appa caught Aang in his saddle, the air bender landing right beside me, and then we were shooting through the air away from the crazy man who was trying to kill us.

As everyone caught their breaths, and calmed their pounding hearts, realizing the threat was gone, I clutched my head and felt a warm liquid I assumed was blood. Ignoring it though, I looked over at everyone glad they were okay.

Toph seemed at a loss for words, Sokka seemed surprised, Katara looked horrified, Kale looked confused, Sokka looked annoyed, and Aang looked relieved. Immediately Katara asked Aang if he was okay and he said he was. Mom even jumped on his back glad to see Aang was okay.

"Well, that was random," Toph said.

Shaking my head, I said, "No… He knows who Aang is. This definitely was not random. When I was with him at the top of the crater, he told me I wasn't his target."

Katara asked, "What were you doing at the top of the crater anyway, Amber?"

Immediately I hung my head a bit, saying, "I thought I felt a source of fire nearby, so I was curious and went to check it out."

Aang looked bewildered. "You felt a source of fire?"

My face burned and my head was still pounding. "I'm the spirit of fire now… I guess sensing fire benders nearby comes with the package."

Sokka turned his head to glance at me for a brief moment. Then he looked away guiding Appa in the direction we needed to go.

What was that look for?

Someone suddenly punched my arm and I winced from the force. "Hey, Princess! Didn't I tell you to stop being stupid and trying to get yourself killed."

Rubbing my pounding arm, I shot Toph a frown. "I wasn't trying to be stupid. I had no clue what that source of fire belonged to. I was just too curious for my own good I guess."

"Well hows about a new rule… From now on we avoid being curious so none of us get killed!"

Aang was still a bit shaken from the attack, but he managed to raise his hand saying, "I second that!"

"We do owe Amber though. If she hadn't warned us who knows what would've really happened," Katara said, trying to thank me instead of scold me. I was a bit surprised she wasn't shouting at me with her motherly ways right now.

Kale's hand suddenly rested on my cheek, and I winced as his finger traced over the scratches on my face that had thankfully stopped bleeding. "You okay? That hawk got you good."

Nodding, I smiled weakly. "Yeah… I'm fine. When I run into that metal forehead shooting man again though, I swear I'm going to strangle that stupid pet of his."

He laughed, saying, "We can have it for dinner."

**Third Person POV**

Zuko threw another painting into the fire, the flames shooting up toward the sky above with fury. He stormed past Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula who watched him from where they sat on logs by the fire. Grabbing another painting of him and his dad, he practically smashed it into the flaming pile in front of him. When he was done, he plopped down on the log where Mai sat, crossing his arms annoyed with everything.

The whole group stared over at him with surprise, uncertainty, and silence.

After a moment Azula said, "Now that you've had your little tantrum, can we try to enjoy the rest of the night?"

Zuko scowled, his eyes glaring daggers at Azula. "You just don't care do you," he hissed.

Azula looked confused by his words, and a bit unsure of what to say. Zuko was now on his feet again and stomped over to her. Now he was ready to tell them all how he felt.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself! Ever since Amber died, you haven't shown any remorse or guilt at all. Whenever I even mention Amber you roll your eyes at me and tell me to get over it! Do you even care that you killed our sister?"

Azula was surprised by Zuko's words, and a bit speechless.

"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home, now my dad talks to me. Huh, he even thinks I'm a hero. Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever! And you want to know why? It's because you and father don't give a crap that Amber is dead! Am I really the only one in this family who cares?"

Azula now scowled. "You're stupid Zuko to think anyone would care about Amber! That girl was a traitor from the start, and in the end she would've gotten what was coming for her. Father isn't sad about any of this because he truly wanted Amber dead from the start! You're going to have to get it through your thick skull, that the only person who cares is you!"

Now Zuko backed up, his eyes wide at what his sister had just said.

"_Father isn't sad about any of this because he truly wanted Amber dead from the start."_

His mind trailed back to what Amber had told him so long ago.

"_Our father ordered Zhao to kidnap me… He tried to kill me…"_

Zuko winced as Amber's words suddenly came true in his mind. He turned away from his sister, shutting his eyes tightly as tears threatened to spill. He remembered something else Amber had said.

"_He's hated me from the day I was born… You need to open your eyes one day and see that dad doesn't care squat about any of us! If he did he would've let you come home years ago, avatar or not!"_

Zuko clutched his head in agony, tears sliding down his cheeks as he said softly with a broken whisper, "My eyes are open, Amber. I'm sorry…"

He believed her now. He believed Amber. If only it wasn't too late...

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	7. The Past

**A/N: I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. College has been so chaotic. I promise I'm not going to stop writing this story, I'm just not able to update as quickly as I want to. Thanks for everyone's support, patience, and reviews though. This chapter follows a lot of the script but I tried to involve Amber as much as I could. Let me know how you like it. Also I can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be up, but I'll have it up as soon as I can.**

**Thanks again,**

**Faithy Waithy**

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><p><strong>Zuko POV<strong>

Lying in bed, Zuko felt exhausted as he sunk into his mattress. It had been four days since he'd gotten back to the palace from Ember Island, and he hadn't spoken much with his sister Azula since then. Actually, he'd distanced himself as much as he could from both his sister and his father. He refused to see his father at all, knowing now what Amber had spoken was true. The Fire Lord had been behind her kidnapping over nine years ago.

Zuko couldn't believe how stupid he'd been, choosing honor over family. He even felt awful for everything he had done to the avatar. All the kid was doing was trying to save the world, and Zuko had made it ten times harder for the air bender.

He wished so much he had listened to his sister. He wished so much he had taken the water benders invitation back at the crystal caverns to join the group.

Now that Zuko knew the truth about his father, he no longer knew what to do. He no longer wanted to help his father anymore with this stupid war. He wanted to free his uncle so terribly from the prison he was being held in. He wanted to redeem himself.

He did not feel any honor toward what he had done. He felt like a monster.

A sound suddenly echoed through the hall outside of Zuko's room, and the young prince was immediately to his feet his fists ready to attack whoever it was. He'd been having a terrible feeling over the last few days. He did not trust the Fire Lord or Azula anymore, and so he was staying alert ready to fight if he needed to.

Slowly, he crept out of his room and into the dark hall, his eyes darting everywhere for the source of the noise. To his surprise, he saw something on the floor in front of him, placed upright as if beckoning him to pick it up.

Zuko grabbed the scroll and when he had it in his hand he looked one last time for the person who had brought it. When he saw no one, he opened the scroll and looked down at the writing. From the light of the moon outside, Zuko could vaguely make out the words.

"You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny," Zuko read softly out loud.

Zuko was curious now. What about his great-grandfather? He already knew about the past Fire Lord Sozin from stories he was told as a kid. What else could there be that would reveal his destiny?

**Amber POV**

We really had no clue what was going on, but Aang told us it was urgent. As we sat on Appa's saddle with question, Aang flew us toward where Roku's home used to be; the home where he lived when he was human and the avatar. Aang explained that Roku wanted Aang to go to his home for some reason. He wanted to show Aang his history with my great-grandfather Sozin. It actually surprised me that both my great-grandfathers had met each other in the past. I assumed their relationship wasn't something to be happy about.

"There it is! Roku's home!" Aang exclaimed, pointing at the black shape in the distance. From what I could tell there was one large volcano in the middle of the island, and another smaller volcano beside it. Where there used to most likely be a large beautiful village, was now nothing but molten rock and layers of volcanic ash.

"But there's nothing here," Katara said softly, but I could see she knew why without even needing an explanation.

There was most likely a beautiful town here long ago, and the volcano had destroyed it.

As we landed on the ash covered island, I slid off of Appa immediately and landed on the ground. Ash flew up around me, and I frowned as I walked across the uneven rough surface of the island. There was heat all around me, and I assumed that was because there was still an active volcano beneath us. The heat felt deep below us though, and in between was nothing but coldness and molten rock.

Toph jumped off of Appa and landed beside me, ash flying up around her too. "There is something here," she said somberly. "An entire village. Hundreds of houses. All completely buried in ash."

Everyone was off of Appa, and we frowned at the disaster around us. It was sad to think about what happened to my great-grandfather. I assumed he had died at this volcano.

As Aang led us up hill to the edge of a molten rock cliff, he turned to me saying, "Oh… Roku said he wants you to come too."

"Me?" I asked, surprised.

Aang nodded. "He wants you to get the truth as well."

Looking back at the others, I saw Kale look a little worried at the thought of my spirit leaving my body. Katara and Sokka seemed concerned, while Toph didn't really seem bothered.

"Come back soon," Katara said. "We'll watch over your bodies."

Smiling, I nodded. "We won't be long."

Kale added in, "Keep her out of trouble, Aang. She likes to find it everywhere she goes."

Rolling my eyes, I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed and waved at me. Aang told him he'd keep an eye on me, and then grabbed my hand pulling me to the edge of the cliff with him.

Aang and I plopped down on the ash covered cliff across from one another. Sitting cross legged, Aang mouthed, "_Ready?"_

Nodding, I took in a deep breath and shut my eyes. As soon as I did I managed to pull my spirit from my body. Stepping out of my body, I looked over at my family to see them talking amongst themselves. They couldn't see us, and I didn't expect them to.

"Amber? Ready?" Aang asked.

Turning, I saw him standing beside his body. His spirit-self glowed but looked the same as his human form.

"Where do we go, though?" I asked.

The sound of wings flapping made us look up at the sky with a gasp. A giant red dragon flew toward us, and on its back sat Avatar Roku, my great-grandfather.

The dragon flew and stopped at the very edge of the cliff hovering in the air.

Roku smiled. He was glad to see the both of us. "Need a lift?"

We both smiled back at the old spirit, then headed over to his dragon. After we managed to maneuver our way on the giant red beast, me getting a little help from Aang, we took off into the sky flying away from my family into the clouds above.

**Zuko POV**

Zuko stared at a painting in front of him which was a large portrait of his great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin. He was in the hallway where all of the past Fire Nation royalty were portrayed by their own portraits. Zuko had dreamed of having his own portrait on the wall one day, but thinking back to everything that occurred Zuko no longer wanted the honor. He could care less if he ever became fire lord. As he stared at the old cold face of his great-grandfather, he wondered just what was so important about the man that would change Zuko's destiny.

"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko," Azula suddenly said with heavy sarcasm. "Make sure he gets your good side."

If Zuko wasn't too deep in thought he would've shot fire at Azula for her comment. Instead he turned to his little sister who was walking by him saying, "Wait. I need to ask you something. What do you remember about our Great-Grandfather's history?"

Azula stopped dead in her tracks, and then turned to Zuko in surprise. She was probably surprised most of all that her brother had spoken to her. She knew he was mad at her.

After a moment of thought she let out a hard sigh. "Ah, Zuko. It's so strange how your mind works." She walked back over to him. "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man."

Zuko tried to understand why this was important for him to find out, but it all sounded so familiar and insignificant to him. He asked, "But how did he die?"

Azula looked annoyed. "Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko?" She turned and started to walk away. "He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was ancient."

The scroll Zuko still clutched in his hand became heavier as he watched Azula walk away. He didn't understand. How could he learn the story of his Great-Grandfather's demise when there was no demise to learn about?

Turning sharply, he walked back to his room just wanting to find answers.

**Amber POV**

Holding onto one of the dragons spikes coming out of the dragon's back, I smiled as I stared at the clouds below us. This was amazing, flying on a dragon through the sky in my spirit form. A few months ago I'd never even flown, let alone flown on a dragon.

"This is amazing! You never told me you had a dragon Roku!" I exclaimed.

Aang and Roku beamed back at me. Roku responded, "His names Fang."

Aang leaned forward then. "Where are we going?"

Roku answered calmly, "To visit my past. Our shared past."

The dragon sped up as we raced into a bright white light. The light clouded our visions as we raced back into my great-grandfathers past.

**Zuko POV**

Zuko growled in frustration, lying on his back and staring at the scroll he still clutched tightly in his hand. His eyes continued to race across the sentence on the paper: _You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny_.

"What does it mean?!" Zuko was annoyed, still having no clue what the point of the stupid scroll was for. There was nothing significant about his Great-Grandfather's demise. There was nothing that was worth discovering that would change his destiny. All he needed to know was Fire Lord Sozin started the war, led many battles, and then died an old man. There was nothing that would change his destiny from this information.

He growled in aggravation, tossing the letter on the table beside him. The scroll landed beside a lantern, and as the light from the fire glowed across the parchment Zuko suddenly saw a different sentence. Sitting up, Zuko leaned over to read the hidden message on the scroll.

"The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone Catacombs," Zuko whispered, reading the lines aloud. His eyes widened.

Swiftly, he jumped out of the bed and yanked on some shoes. Then with haste he raced through the halls so he could get to the Fire Sage Capitol Temple where he hoped to find some answers. Racing past the guards with much practice from his past days as the blue spirit, Zuko stuck to the shadows as he managed to get out of the palace and reach the dirt path to the temple. When he arrived at the large old sacred building that was lit up by many torches, he stuck to the walls and behind pillars trying to stay out of sight. If he was caught, there was no telling what would happen to him.

Reaching the courtyard, lit by intense red fire on torches all around him, he watched from behind a pillar as Fire Sage's walked by. Watching them, he wondered if he should be doing something so reckless. Why was he so curious to know the meaning behind the scroll in his trouser pocket? Why was he dying to know what would change his destiny?

_It's because you're not happy… You don't want to serve your father anymore._

Zuko scowled, trying to push the thoughts away so he wouldn't blow his cover by losing focus.

The Fire Sage he watched suddenly walked over to the middle of the courtyard and stood right on top of a large flower patterned medallion. Standing on top of the medallion, the sage shot fire at the very center of the flower and the ground opened revealing a staircase that led into the earth. As the sage disappeared below, a moment later the staircase shut.

Zuko had a strong feeling that staircase was his key into the Dragon Bone Catacombs.

After waiting a good thirty minutes, the staircase appeared again and Zuko watched as the same sage from before came out with a scroll in his hand. When the sage was gone, Zuko took his chance.

Heading over to the medallion in the ground, Zuko fired at the center just as he saw the sage do earlier. The staircase appeared again, and he quickly rushed down so none of the sages would spot him.

The Dragon Bone Catacombs were really cold as Zuko headed down the long large tunnel lit by many candles. Zuko could now see why the catacombs were given such a dark name. The tunnel was made out of dragon bones aligning the wall, and the giant skulls of dragon's trailed along both sides of the tunnel. Zuko could see the remains of all the dragons that were destroyed so long ago. He couldn't believe his own people were the cause of an extinction of a whole species.

Then again, his people did cause air benders to go extinct.

He winced at the idea of the Avatar possibly being alive. He wouldn't be for long when the assassin caught up to him. Zuko immediately felt sick to his stomach at what he'd done to the Avatar. He felt like a monster, wishing for someone's death. He also felt in a way he was betraying his dead sister by wishing death on her friend.

Zuko sighed heavily, but continued down the tunnel wanting to find answers. When he eventually reached the very end of the tunnel, he approached a large statue of his great-grandfather which seemed to be attached to a large door. On the chest of the statue of Sozin was a fire nation emblem. Pressing his hand on the cold metal, fire immediately shot from the statues mouth and nostrils. Then the door swung open and he was allowed inside.

Stepping into a dark room, Zuko looked around to see tons of artifacts, statues, parchments, and wooden boxes full of more artifacts and parchments. Lighting a flame in his hand to give him more light, Zuko's eyes widened when he saw a large statue of a dragon in the very center of the room. Walking up to the dragon, he pulled a scroll out from under the dragons head. Looking at the inscription on the outside of the scroll, he almost sighed with relief.

_The Final Testament of Fire Lord Sozin._

Zuko found some candles and lit them to give the room some light. Then he sat at the feet of the statue and began to read what would hopefully tell him his destiny.

_As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter. I remember my friend…_

**Amber POV**

My eyes widened when I saw where Roku had brought us in the past. We stood in the palace courtyard, and I watched with amazement as two young men no older than Zuko sparred playfully. The taller one I could immediately tell was Roku, picking him out easily. The shorter one I assumed was my great-grandfather Sozin. They were both shirtless, in fine fire nation trousers, and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves as they fought one another.

"You and Sozin were…" I began to ask.

Aang cut me off finishing my sentence in surprise. "Friends?!"

We both stared in shock, watching as a young Sozin shot a fire blast at young Roku with a sly grin. Sozin looked stronger than Roku in strength, but I had a feeling Roku was more agile and quick.

"Yes. Back then, he was just Prince Sozin, and he was my best friend… We were almost like brothers," spirit Roku answered me and Aang.

We continued to watch as the sparring continued. Sozin suddenly began to push Roku backward toward a tree in the courtyard. Roku clumsily tripped over the stump falling backward on the dirt. Sozin walked over to his surprised friend with a grin. "Looks like I win again, Roku," Sozin said, holding his hand out toward Roku.

Roku took it with gratitude, while saying, "Are you kidding? The tree root did all the work." Roku patted Sozin on the shoulder letting him know he had truly beaten him. "Nice one, Sozin."

Sozin beamed at Roku's compliment. They began to leave the courtyard again, and we followed behind them. Walking where they stepped, we saw them both stop as a very pretty girl walked by. She was probably my age, and she was in a very pretty light red dress. Her black hair kind of held the body and waves that my own hair held. She also looked a lot like my mom had when she was younger. I had a strong feeling this was Roku's wife and my great-grandmother.

The young Roku stared at the girl with ogle eyes, and Sozin nudged him saying, "Say something to her." Roku blushed red as he turned to follow the girl who was steadily walking away. He went to speak but his words got stuck, and he held his hand in the air frozen solid. The girl didn't notice him, and Roku groaned in embarrassment. Falling back on the grassy floor below him, he covered his face with shame. Sozin plopped down beside him and threw beads of grass on his face with a smirk.

"Love is hard when you're young," Roku said. Then his eyes shot to me. "At least for some."

Aang sighed. "Yeah… Amber and Kale got lucky… me on the other hand…"

I could tell he was thinking about Katara.

Smacking him on the side of the head, he winced a bit and glared at me. Rolling my eyes at him, I said, "She likes you, Aang. Stop thinking she doesn't."

"Give it time, Aang… You have plenty of time," Roku said. "Now come with me. We have a party to attend."

With the blink of an eye we were suddenly in the palace courtyard again. This time though the courtyard was full of music, and decorations were everywhere. It was night time. We all looked over at the large doors that led into the palace. Roku and Sozin stepped outside then, the large doors shutting behind them.

"Wait… Who's the party for?" Aang asked, seeing everyone applaud both of the young men as they stepped outside. The young men were wearing fine robes and beaming.

Roku who stood beside me, smiled at the memory. "Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday."

"Wow," was my response.

Sozin and Roku began to walk down the steps then to join the party. As Roku headed toward the crowd we happened to be among, he spotted the same girl from earlier in the crowd. His momentary distraction caused him to stumble and trip down the stairs. Sozin grabbed his hand stopping him from falling, and I smiled at the act of kindness.

How could someone who turned out to be so awful, be so good to begin with?

How did my Great-Grandfather Sozin become such a monster?

The crowd suddenly gasped and broke apart as five elderly sages walked down the courtyard toward both of my great-grandfathers. Prince Sozin stepped down the steps to meet them, asking if his father was okay.

The sages waved him off, one saying, "No, Prince Sozin. We are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." The crowd all began to whisper amongst themselves in amazement at this mans words. "It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku." The look on Roku's face was shell shock, and the look on Sozin's face was almost disbelief.

The sages bowed at Roku then, and the crowd followed a moment later. To my surprise, Sozin bowed too.

"So that's how you found out… Bet the party was ruined," I said softly.

Roku sighed, "Yeah… Wasn't one of the best birthdays ever."

In the blink of an eye we were suddenly in a large bedroom in the palace. Standing in the corner of the bedroom, we saw Roku seated on a bed staring with heavy sadness down at an empty suitcase. He looked so heartbroken at the sudden news of him being the avatar.

Sozin suddenly entered the room doing a few playful fighting moves. Roku looked up for a small moment, but then looked back away with dismay.

"Come on, show me how it's done..." Sozin began to move his arms and legs displaying bending movements from all four nations. "...using all four kinds of bending."

Roku sighed heavily. "I started packing, but then the fire sages told me I won't need any worldly possessions anymore."

Sozin immediately dropped his hands and frowned at his sad friend. "Oh…"

"It happened so fast… Everything's going to be different now," Roku said.

Sozin walked over and plopped on the bed beside Roku. Taking the hairpin from his head, he held it out toward Roku. "Here. I hope you're at least allowed to have this."

Roku's eyes widened at the golden hair pin in his friend's hand. "But this is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."

Sozin held it closer to Roku. "I want you to have it."

Roku smiled widely, then with gratefulness he took the pin and placed it on his topknot. My eyes widened at the exchange. My great-grandfather Sozin had once had such a kind and gentle heart.

"Come on… We have an air temple to get to," spirit Roku suddenly said. To my surprise we were back in the courtyard, it was day time, and Roku's dragon Fang was ready for us. The three of us mounted on the giant dragon, and immediately it took off into the sky.

As we flew, I leaned forward asking Aang, "Did you have to give away all of your possessions too?"

Aang shook his head. "I never really had any earthly possessions. Air Nomads are more attuned with nature and the world. We didn't own much but the clothes on our back."

"Oh," I said. Then I asked, "Are you glad you got stuck in that ice berg?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah… If I hadn't I would've never met you and the gang."

Smiling at Aang's words, I said, "You're an awesome brother, Aang."

He looked back at me. "And you're a great sister."

The dragon sped up some more as we headed to our next destination.

Eventually we found ourselves flying over some large mountain peaks. The mountain peaks told me we were getting close to the air temple. Aang must have noticed too.

"Hey! We're almost at the Southern Air Temple!"

Roku looked back at us with shining gold eyes. "This was the first stop on my avatar journey."

The mountains parted suddenly, and I saw with amazement a temple made out of stone on the mountain peak in front of us. The temple was magnificent, and I was excited to get to see the home which Aang had grown up in.

As we got closer, the dragon landed on a flat piece of mountain land. A bunch of young air benders were lined up near the edge of the cliff, each one holding a staff in their hands. Roku stood among this group of boys, air bending his black hair at the boy beside him. The boy beside him used air bending to shove Roku's hair back at him tangling it in the process. They both smiled at their childish play.

Spirit Roku watched his memories with a smile. "It was the place where I was trained to master air bending and also where I met an old friend of yours, Monk Gyatso."

Aang's eyes widened. "No way!"

I frowned a bit, remembering what Katara had told me. They'd gone to the Southern Air Temple where Aang found the remains of his friend Monk Gyatso, killed in a battle against the Fire Nation over a hundred years ago.

Suddenly the air benders all took off toward the ledge and flew through the sky. Roku set Fang to the air again and we followed the air benders as they glided through the air. Roku was among them, and he seemed to be having a blast in his youth. As he smiled and laughed, I smiled too glad to see the youth of my great-grandfather.

Roku suddenly shouted to the kid flying beside him, "Hey, Gyatso, you want to see a new glider trick?"

The kid looked over with question. Roku shot up in the sky, did two loops, and then returned to flying beside Gyatso.

"Check this out," Gyatso responded, then did a flip and somehow ended up on top of his glider using it to surf.

"That's something I've never seen," I commented.

"He's air-surfing. I can't believe I never thought of that," Aang exclaimed.

I smirked. "Maybe when we get you a new glider you can try it."

He beamed as he continued to watch. "Yeah! Definitely!"

Gyatso suddenly lost his balance and began to fall. Roku quickly darted toward him and caught him. Both of them then hurtled down toward the rocky cliff and crashed into the other air bender children who were watching. Aang laughed at the childish behavior while I smirked. I could see where Aang got his personality from.

Aang beamed. "That's amazing! I can't believe you were friends with Monk Gyatso, just like I was!"

Roku placed a hand on Aang's shoulder saying, "Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes."

Roku then took Aang and I to his other stops during his training. As we moved from the air nomads, to the South Pole, I could see young Roku was growing stronger by the years. He became strong in his bending, determined in mastering all four elements, and more focused on his avatar duty.

Watching Roku's training at the North Pole, I couldn't help but remember the pain I had suffered at that very same place. I'd been stabbed by Turk, beat and almost killed by Zhao, and my friend Yue died risking her life for a spirit. I couldn't help but cringe a bit as we revisited the cold Northern Water Tribe.

Thankfully, we didn't stay long. Roku took us once more on Fang to the Earth Kingdom. This time I got to see him learn earth bending from a really buff dude in green armor. It was really cool seeing Roku, a man born among fire benders, move rocks instead of flames.

Suddenly the scene shifted from Roku Earth Bending, and we were carried to a beach where Roku stood near the lapping water.

"It was bitter work… But the results were worth it," spirit Roku said, as memory Roku used all four of the elements. He shot out a stream of water, a blast of fire, a line of earth, and a whirlwind of air, each in different directions. He had mastered all four elements. It was truly amazing to see a fully mastered avatar in front of my very eyes.

"After 12 years of training, it was only then I returned to my friend Sozin," Roku said.

Roku took us back to the Fire Nation palace into the throne room. Entering the throne room, we could see that Sozin was now Fire Lord, and was seated on the golden throne raised by a platform. Memory Roku entered the room, and we watched as he approached Fire Lord Sozin with a smile.

"Sozin," he said. "Or should I say Fire Lord."

The Fire Lord narrowed his eyes. "Customarily my subjects bow before greeting me," he began. My eyes widened at what he said. He smiled however, standing from the throne. "But you're the exception." He walked over to Roku and gave him a hug glad to see his friend again. I almost sighed with relief.

"After all these years, he was still my best friend," Roku said. "And a few months later, he was my best man."

The scene shifted then, and I saw we were back in the courtyard at night. The courtyard was full of activity, nobles dressed in fine attire. On the top of the steps that ran into the courtyard, I saw Roku and a woman at the top. Immediately I knew the woman was my great-grandmother. She was beautiful, and she looked so much like my mom.

"Roku! It's that girl that didn't even know you were alive," Aang said.

I elbowed him, and he looked at me with a 'what did I do' expression.

"Ta min… I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way. And being the avatar doesn't hurt your chance with the ladies either." Roku said.

I felt my spirit lighten at these words. My thoughts went back to Kale who was probably pacing by my body worried sick. Love surely did find a way. After nine years apart, Kale and I had found each other again.

"Yeah… Love does always find a way," I said softly.

"Sadly, my wedding was the turning point in my friendship with Sozin," Roku said softly beside us, and the scene shifted again. Now we stood on one of the palace's balconies, the one that over looked the courtyard. It took me a second to recognize it as the balcony Zuko and I had stood on staring at the dragon in the sky years ago.

"What's on your mind?" memory Roku suddenly asked, and we saw the two middle aged men come onto the balcony.

Sozin stared off over the courtyard with a scary look in his eyes; A look of almost determination. "I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately," Sozin began.

Roku tried to brush off the conversation. "Sozin, it's my wedding! Have a cookie! Dance with someone! Lighten up!"

Sozin turned to Roku, and I felt dread fill me. This was it. I could tell from the determination in Sozin's eyes. This was where we'd hear him begin to plan his invasion on the world. "I know, I know, but hear me out. Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord. And although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be the Avatar. It's an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well isn't it?"

Roku and Sozin had begun to walk to the edge of the balcony, but Roku stopped walking almost knowing what was about to come. He could sense immediately this conversation was going somewhere wrong.

Sozin continued. "Together we can do… anything!"

Roku frowned at his friend, and I saw spirit Roku hang his head at the painful memory we were seeing.

"Yeah… we could," Roku slowly said to Sozin, but his voice was leery.

"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth. Our people are happy, and we're so fortunate in so many ways."

"Where are you going with this?"

Sozin turned to Roku again. "I've been thinking. We should share this prosperity with the rest of the world! In our hands is the most successful empire in history. We should expand it!"

Roku went to interject. "No! The four nations are meant to be just that: four!"

Sozin tried to stay calm. "Roku… You haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities."

"There are no possibilities! This is the last I want to hear about this!" Roku snapped. He then turned and left Sozin, who didn't look happy.

Spirit Roku said softly, "That was my first real test as the avatar. Unfortunately it was many years later until I heard Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning."

The scene shifted again and once more we were in the palace throne room. A much older Sozin with graying hair sat on his golden throne. He no longer held a kind easy going expression. His expression was one now of determination and evil. He was so focused on taking over the world, that he lost his humanity in the process.

Roku smashed the doors open to the throne room then, and he stormed in with fury. "I've seen the colonies, Sozin. How dare you occupy earth kingdom territory!"

So the war had officially begun.

"How dare you, a citizen of the fire nation, address your fire lord this way," Sozin snapped. "Your loyalty is to our nation first. Anything less makes you a traitor."

Aang and I scowled at the scene in front of us, while Roku watched his memories with sad eyes.

"Don't do this Sozin! Don't challenge me! It will only end badly! It's over."

Both men shared a long infuriated glance, and I could see they were starting to boil over. A fight was about to brew, and I had a strong feeling Roku would win.

Roku turned swiftly, walking away from Sozin not wanting to hurt his old friend. Sozin had rage shoot through his eyes as he watched his old friend leave. With undeniable rage, the man jumped up from his throne and jumped down the platform landing a good three feet from the steps. As he did this he kicked a strong blast of fire from his feet and hands at Roku.

Roku twisted and fell through the earth going underground. The fire missed him by a second, and I sighed in relief seeing he was unharmed. Roku then appeared behind Sozin and shot a strong blast of wind at him. The man went flying through the air and smashed into the closed doors of the throne room hard. Then a rocky stalagmite shot from the ground and lifted Sozin by his robe high in the room. Roku went into full Avatar state, and another blast of air shot from him this time destroying the palace throne room.

From up above, I could see Sozin was horrified by what had just occurred. Roku used a swirl of air to shoot himself up so he was eye level with Sozin. Staring at his old friend with both hurt and fury, Roku said, "I'm sparing you Sozin… I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship. But I warn you… even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end."

My eyes widened at what Roku said. He had just threatened to kill Sozin.

The scene shifted one last time. This time we were on Fang again, and we were staring at a familiar island. The island had two volcanos. It didn't take me long to realize this was the island our human bodies were back on. The island had grass, trees, animals, beautiful homes, and so much life.

"Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle. I spent most of my spare time here at my home," Roku said.

Everything went downhill after Roku said these words. The scene changed and the once blue sky became dark with ash and soot. The earth shook and screams could be heard from below. Lava began to spew from the volcanos as they started to erupt. Below we could see citizens running from their homes to the wooden boats waiting down by the water.

An old woman and a familiar looking Roku ran out of one of the houses. "Let's go!" Roku shouted at the woman I assumed was my Great-Grandma. He shot air in front of him which created a wind tunnel so the gas in the air wouldn't hurt Ta Min. She looked at him with agony, knowing fully well he wasn't following her. With tears, the woman turned and ran off into the wind tunnel.

Roku went into full blown determination then, turning toward the oncoming lava. I watched with amazement as Roku began to fight the volcano that was quickly erupting. The ground shook and earth began to fall down the volcano toward the town. Roku quickly used earth bending to create a wall to stop the earth, but as soon as he did lava spewed from the top of the volcano. As Roku battled the volcano, I watched with amazement.

Roku managed to create a channel in the earth that sent the flowing lava toward the sea. When this happened more chaos ensued as the earth shook again and gas began to fill the air around Roku.

Aang exclaimed excitedly while all of this happened. "This is amazing Roku! You're battling a volcano, and you're winning! You and Amber definitely share the same blood!"

Memory's immediately flooded through me of battling that volcano so long ago. That was the day Aunt Wu told me I was going to die. Funny how right she had really been. Turned out she wasn't a con-artist after all.

"Amber actually out did me on this one, Aang. My success didn't last. There was no way I could do it all," spirit Roku said.

I felt pain shoot through me. I was about to see Roku die.

The gas began to surround Roku. Lava began to shoot around him and he coughed hard as the toxic fumes entered his lungs.

Roku spoke again, "Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous, volcanic gasses were overwhelming."

The memory Fang suddenly flew into the image, his loyalty showing as he tried to fly down toward his friend. Roku saw his loyal pet trying to frantically reach him, but Roku waved him away. "It's all right Fang! Get out of here! I'm fine!" The dragon looked on at his master with agony.

Roku then went into the avatar state, his eyes glowing brightly as he used earth bending to stop the lava. As he stopped the lava flowing toward him, the other volcano erupted then sending more lava and gas in the air. Roku stared at the lava with agony. He knew he was losing this battle.

"Need a hand friend!" Sozin's voice suddenly shouted, and Roku looked up startled to see Sozin flying down toward him on his own dragon.

"Sozin!" Roku cried with utter relief.

Sozin brought his dragon down close enough to Roku and helped him on the giant beast. Then they flew to the other volcano that had just erupted. The Fang that we were on flew us behind Sozin's dragon, and we watched from above as both men landed on the volcano and began to fight the lava. As they did their best to stop the fire and boiling rock that headed toward the village below, I could tell something awful was about to happen.

"Don't breathe the toxic gas!" Roku suddenly shouted, and both of the men turned running away from the volcano they couldn't beat. As they ran Roku tripped and fell on the hard dark ground. "It's… too much," he chokes out, trying to stay on his knees but falling to the ground on his stomach.

My great-grandfather Sozin stared at my great-grandfather Roku with cruelty. "Without you, all of my plans are suddenly possible."

Roku held his hand out toward Sozin, and his eyes widened at what his friend had just spoken. I covered my mouth in horror at what I was seeing.

"I have a vision for the future, Roku." Sozin then hopped up on his dragon and both of them flew off, leaving Roku to choke violently on the gasses entering his lungs. As he began to die, and the lava started to slide down like an angry stampede, Fang flew down and wrapped himself around Roku. Then the lava fell over the both and they were buried underneath. My eyes caught a glimpse of Sozin's dragon as it flew off back toward the Fire Nation Palace.

The scene shifted then and suddenly we were back at a stone like place with air nomad symbols. Standing in the dimly sun lit room, I saw three air nomad monks and a nun standing in the room. The nun was holding a little baby boy with brown hair.

"Who's... wait, that's me, isn't it?"

"Make sense of our past Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance in the world," Roku said softly.

His hand grabbed my shoulder then and I was torn away from Aang being taken back to the island my body was at. Roku took us both back to the cliff where already I could see Aang was back in his human form and looked confused. He stared at my human body with even more confusion. My human body was still sitting crisscrossed, but my eyes were closed.

Kale and the others ran into view, and they immediately asked Aang what had happened and why I hadn't returned. Aang looked unsure.

"I should get back before they worry," I began.

As I started to step forward, Roku stopped me by stepping in my path.

"Amber… Do you know why I showed you these things?"

Looking at Roku, I shook my head with furrowed brows. Truth was, I had no clue why Roku had wanted me to see these things; to see his past. It only made me hate my father's bloodline more.

He smiled weakly. "After my death I had so much hurt and anger toward Sozin. My vengeful spirit was so determined to end this war that I selfishly tried to use you to get back at the Fire Nation. I was even going to use you to destroy your own father. Huo and I had so many plans, and now I see how foolish I was being. Revenge is never the answer, Amber. Revenge will only weigh you down and drive you mad."

Where was he going with all of this?

He placed both his hands on my shoulders, his gold eyes staring intensely into my own. "You have a choice in this war: You can have your revenge and destroy your father; or you can push your revenge aside and try to repair a family that needs healing."

Now I was startled. "You want me to not fight against my father? After everything he's done to me!"

"I was so angry and hurt by Sozin… I could've killed him when I had the chance, but that would've only made me a monster. Don't be a monster Amber. I want you to follow your heart. When the time comes I don't want your decision to be on anger. I want you to decide what to do with the pure kind heart I know you have. It's time to repair what's important. Our family needs you, Amber."

Roku disappeared then, leaving me to ponder over what he had just said.

**Zuko POV**

Stomping through the prison cell door, Zuko slammed it behind him so the guards positioned outside wouldn't hear the conversation he was about to have. Storming over to the metal bars in the dark cold room, Zuko stared hard at the hunched over figure inside the empty filthy cell. In his hand was the scroll he'd received earlier that night.

"You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history. Which, by the way should be renamed "the history most people already know." The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"

Zuko was so confused, so frustrated, and so tired. All he wanted to do was figure out why his uncle had sent him the letter. It was eating him away on the inside, not understanding what message his uncle was trying to get to him.

"No...he wasn't," Iroh said softly, his voice firm from where he was hunched inside his cell. His hair was down a bit over his face, tangled and covered in dirt and grime. His gold eyes looked so tired.

Zuko scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"Zuko… Why do you think Avatar Roku chose to save Amber when she was born?"

Zuko was stunned by the question. He pondered over it but only grew more confused. "I don't know… I guess because she-"

He stopped, his voice getting caught in his throat. His memory took him back to the crystal catacomb where he had been a prisoner with his sister and the water bender.

_Amber placed her hand on Zuko's shoulder, he kind sisterly eyes staring at Zuko with determination. "I need to tell you something… About our Great-Grandfathe-"_

Amber had tried to tell him. Zuko could remember that Amber was trying to tell him the exact same thing that Iroh was trying to tell him now.

"I don't know…" Zuko said softly, agony shooting through him at the memory of his sister. Falling to his knees, he clutched his hair in pain as images of his little sister shot through his head. He'd never see her again.

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."

Zuko's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he heard Iroh's words now. It made sense… Why Roku chose to save Amber… Amber was his great-granddaughter. Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing. Avatar Roku was his great-grandfather!

Zuko could barely speak. "Why are you telling me this?"

Iroh sighed. "Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers, can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now... by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the fire nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world."

"That's what Amber was trying to tell me," Zuko whispered. "Back at Ba Sing Sei… She was trying to show me another way."

Iroh nodded. Reaching over to the wall in front of him, he removed a piece of stone and pulled out a bundle of cloth from inside. Turning fully to Zuko, Iroh held out the bundle to him through the bars. Zuko took the bundle and took the cloth off to reveal a fine golden hairpin. The hairpin was Avatar Roku's, that Zuko immediately knew.

"This is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince," Iroh said.

Zuko stared down at the hairpin, but already he was starting to feel a change inside him. The battle of good and evil was reaching its climax, and good was finally starting to win.

**Amber POV**

Resting my chin on the palm of my hand, I placed my elbow on the side of the saddle and stared at the ocean surrounding us. My heart and spirit were heavy with burden as I tried to think about the battle to come. Roku didn't want me to fight my father. Roku didn't want me to kill anyone.

I knew why he was telling me this: I wasn't a killer like my father

So then what should I do? How could I mend a family that seemed to be so broken?

Zuko was in the Fire Nation obeying father like a humble pet. Azula was daddy's favorite child, obeying everything he ordered of her and having nothing but hate toward me. My mom was either dead or hiding, though knowing my father she was probably just dead. Then there was my father. There was no way I could mend my family and have him in the picture. No matter what, if I was going to fix what was broken, I'd have to knock one of the pieces out completely. The Fire Lord could never be a part of my mended family.

A warm embrace suddenly encircled me and I felt Kale hug me so my back was to his chest. He pressed his face into my hair and I smiled just slightly at the loving touch.

"You okay?" His voice was muffled somewhat in my hair.

With a heavy sigh, I turned so that I was facing Kale and my face was on his chest. His arms were still wrapped protectively around me.

"I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I want to take out so much revenge on my father, but at the same time I know I'm not a killer." My heart ached at the words I spoke, knowing now that if I did face my father, I wouldn't truly be able to kill him or even hurt him.

Fire wasn't supposed to kill. Being the spirit of fire, I didn't want my fire to be used for any more violence.

"You don't have to face your father. Aang already said he'd do it. I think you should do what you think is right."

What did I think was right though?

After everything that man had done to me. He sentenced me to die. He turned my brother against me. He stole me from my family and from my own mom. How could I not want to fight my father in the end?

"No matter what you choose," Kale whispered. "I promise I'll be by your side."

Pressing my face harder into his chest, I felt him wrap his arms even tighter around me. He made me forget for a moment about the decision ahead, and for that I was thankful.


	8. Sparky Sparky boom man

**A/N: Once again I'm really sorry for how long this chapter took. I'm trying to write as much as I can when I can. College has been chaotic! Hope you enjoy this chapter at least. Let me know what you think and thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers. You all are awesome!**

**~Faith Waithy**

* * *

><p><strong>Zuko POV<strong>

"_Why Zuko… Why did you do it," Amber shouted, her gold eyes pouring out tears. She stood in the palace garden, and the earth kingdom clothing she wore was singed right where her heart would be. Zuko stared at his sister, amazed and horrified to see her standing right in front of him. He hadn't dreamed about her in weeks. Now all of the sudden here she was, her gold eyes filled with so much pain and hurt._

_Zuko stepped forward in the garden reaching out for her. "Amber… Please…"_

_She stepped back, her face contorted with pain. "Why did you send the assassin after my friends? Why couldn't you just be happy with what you already had?"_

"_I regret it," Zuko cried. "I regret it all!" He rushed forward but it seemed the closer he got to Amber, the farther she got from him. He reached his hand out to grab her, but Amber's form seemed to fade away from him. Just as he managed to reach her, her form disappeared and darkness shot around him. The last thing he heard was Amber's scream as she was struck by lightning._

Waking with a gasp, Zuko found himself in his dark bedroom. He had dry tears on his cheeks and his body shook from the dream he had just had. His heart ached and he felt his throat tighten as cries threatened to spill. Shoving off his tangled blanket, he managed to sit up. Clutching his hair with his hands, he breathed heavily as he tried to gather himself.

Amber was dead… She was dead and she would never forgive him. He betrayed her when she needed him, and now she was dead.

Getting off the bed, Zuko paced his dark room thinking hard about what he should do. Even if he had betrayed Amber, maybe there was still some way he could show her how sorry he was. The avatar was most likely still alive. Zuko was pretty positive the assassin he had sent wouldn't be any match for the air bender. If the avatar was still alive, then he'd probably need a fire bending teacher. With Amber dead he wouldn't have one.

If Zuko could locate where the avatar and his friends were, then Zuko could leave and go find them.

Stopping in his pace, Zuko sighed heavily, knowing exactly what he had to do. It was taking that first step forward and doing it though that seemed so hard.

**Amber POV**

_Running through the halls of the Fire Nation palace, I screamed as another blast of blue fire shot toward me. Searching wildly for a path I could take to escape, I found nothing. _

"_What's the hurry?" _

_A scream escaped me as another blast of fire shot by my running form. Looking back, I saw nothing but a dark hallway. My father was somewhere though, and he was trying to kill me._

"_We could've been great, Amber… Just you and me… Destroying the world together… My little girl…" _

_His voice echoed through the halls, but there was still no sign of him._

"_NO! I'm nothing like you! I'm not a killer!" I screamed back. _

_Turning down another hall, I gasped when I saw with horror Zuko and Azula standing in front of me. They both held frowns on their face as they stared straight at me. Stopping in my run, I backed away from them but my back hit a wall. _

_Azula stepped forward, a sneer on her face. "You're a fool! Fighting against your own people! Fighting against your own family!"_

_Tears spilled down my cheeks as I searched wildly for a way out. There was no exit. The only light was a torch hanging on the wall beside me. The hall seemed to be getting smaller by the minute. _

"_Amber… Join us… Stop betraying your family," Zuko said, taking a step toward me._

_Staring at him with horror, I almost screamed when Zuko was no longer Zuko. Instead in Zuko's place was my father. Azula had disappeared too, leaving me and the Fire Lord alone._

"_My daughter… the spirit of fire. With you I will surely win," my father hissed. Stepping toward me, he reached his pale hand forward and grabbed my chin forcing me to look into his cold eyes. _

"_No! I won't help you! I won't!" _

_My father grinned cruelly. "You already have." _

_Yanking away from me, he stepped aside and gestured behind him. My heart ached as I saw my family sprawled on the ground, each one nothing but a burned charred corpse. My sister, my brother, Aang, Toph, and Kale were all dead in front of me._

"No!"

Sitting up, I felt my breathing was ragged as my voice echoed around the rocky dome we had found to hide. The others were still asleep around me, still alive, and I almost let out a sob of relief. Covering my mouth with my hand, I tried hard to push the nightmare away. My body trembled at the images that sat in my head though.

My whole family, dead, because of me!

A chatter suddenly rang beside me, and I jumped a bit looking over to see Momo sitting a few feet away. The little guy looked at me with his big glowing green eyes.

Reaching over, I pet the furry lemur on his head letting him know I was alright. "It's okay, Momo… Just a bad dream. Sorry if I woke you."

Momo chattered again as he hopped onto my disheveled sleeping bag. Lying back down, I smiled weakly as the little guy curled up beside me to comfort me. Petting him softly, I drifted once more into sleep.

When I woke up later, I found Momo was still asleep beside me and the others were just starting to wake up. Katara had a fire going and was starting to prepare some breakfast. Aang was awake and rolling his sleeping bag up for the day. Toph was somewhat awake, still looking a little groggy as she walked over to Appa. Looking over at Kale, I saw him running a hand through his messy black hair trying to pull some knots out. Sokka was still asleep.

Sitting up, I managed to get out of my sleeping bag without disturbing Momo. Standing, I stretched my stiff muscles and ran a hand through my own hair. My fingers lingered a bit on my fire red highlights and I frowned slightly. They were a reminder of who I had become. My plan had been to do away with my spirit self and be human. Instead, I'd become more spirit than human.

"Morning, Amber!" Katara exclaimed.

"Morning," I responded softly. Walking over to her, I rubbed my eyes which felt dry from crying. Katara looked up from the soup she was making, and when she saw my eyes she immediately looked worried. Smiling reassuringly, I knelt beside her and reached toward the flame helping the small petite fire grow. The flame expanded and ate at the wood it was having trouble catching onto.

Silence passed over us for a moment. Katara finally broke it. "You okay?"

Nodding, I sat down fully and pulled my knees to my chest. "Just a bad dream. Nothing big."

Katara frowned. "You want to talk about it?"

Shaking my head, I sighed heavily as I continued to stare at the fire.

"What's for breakfast?"

Kale's voice made me jump a bit, and I looked over to see him approach Katara and I at the campfire.

My sister smiled. "Just some soup with a little of everything."

"I'm sure it will be great," Kale said.

A moment later Toph walked over with Aang following behind. "So what's the plan today?"

Kale answered her. "We're only three days from our destination. Since the invasion's not for another three weeks, we could do some training for a few days."

Aang seemed to like that plan. "Great idea! I can get more practice with waterbending and earthbending. Maybe I can try and practice a little fire bending too, though I won't be able to use it during the eclipse."

I winced. If I was the spirit of fire, would I be affected by the eclipse like everyone else?

Later that morning, after Sokka finally crawled out of his sleep, we ate breakfast. When we finished eating breakfast Toph and Katara walked off with Aang to help him train. While they were gone, Sokka and Kale practiced sword fighting. Sitting on a boulder, I watched the two fight. My legs were crisscrossed, and I had my elbow on my knee with my chin in my hand. They both fought hard, and I could tell Kale had been practicing a lot over the last few months.

After almost thirty minutes of sword fighting, Kale looked over at me. "Come fight with us!" He beckoned me over with his hand.

Crossing my arms, I said, "I don't have a sword."

Kale held out his water tribe sword toward me. Sighing, I slid off the rock and walked over taking the sword. Sokka smirked clutching his meteorite sword tightly as if telling me to come at him.

"Don't cry if I win," I said, planting my feet and preparing to fight my brother.

He laughed. "I take that as a challenge little sister."

Kale backed up, crossing his arms with content as he prepared to watch Sokka and I go head to head.

"I'll go easy on you," Sokka joked.

I smirked. "I wouldn't."

We began to circle, both of our swords drawn ready for the fight about to start. Though I was pretty sure Sokka would beat me, seeing as he was trained by a strong master, I was up for the challenge.

I wasn't sure who would make the first move, but from Sokka's eyes I could tell he was waiting for me to do it. Looking over at Kale one more time, I winked at him. Then I ran forward and swung my sword down hard at Sokka. He immediately blocked and our swords met creating sparks.

We fought for a good ten minutes, both of us determined to be the winner. At first Sokka had gone easy on me, taking more of the defense than the offense. When he realized I meant business though, he actually began to fight for real.

Sweat beaded down my forehead as I blocked another one of Sokka's attacks. He looked tired too, but he looked determined to knock me down. As his sword weighed heavily on my own, I felt my arms and legs burn from the long fight. Sokka was stronger than me, and he didn't seem to be straining as much as I was. I knew I would most likely lose, but I would hold on till I couldn't take it anymore.

We both pulled our swords apart, my blood pounding hard in my ears as I began to circle my brother again.

Sokka knew he was winning, and he smiled. "You look tired, Amber. Want to call it a draw?"

I scowled. "No way! I'm in this till the end."

Sokka lunged forward and I dodged swiftly. As he hit nothing but air, I darted behind him and tripped him with my foot. He shrieked as he fell to the ground on his stomach, his sword flying out of his hand and landing three feet away.

With fluid movements I turned and rushed over to his sword, picking it up in my hand right as he was about to grab it. He looked at me with amazement, surprised by my unexpected attack. "You tripped me!"

"You didn't say I couldn't," I said, out of breath. My heart was pounding rapidly.

Someone clapped their hands in applaud at our fight. We both looked over to see Kale grin. "That was awesome you guys!"

Sokka took the momentary distraction as a chance for payback. His hand suddenly circled around my ankle and I gasped falling back on the ground. The swords clattered around me but didn't hit my skin. When I was on my butt, I shrieked when my older brother tackled me.

"Sokka! Get off!" I cried, trying to shove him off as he tickled me in the side. Squirming, I tried to get out of his hold, but his arm was wrapped tightly around my waist. Laughing uncontrollably from my brothers attack, I cried, "Stop! Kale! Help!"

"Sorry… I'm staying out of this one," Kale said.

More laughter escaped me and I cried, "Mercy! Stop!"

Sokka held me down, the both of us out of breath as he said, "Looks like I'm the winner now."

I couldn't help but smile at his words. Breathlessly I said, "Alright… You win."

He rolled off of me then and fell in the dirt still breathless. After a moment of the both of us trying to catch our breath and recover, I stood with shaky limbs. Kale stared at the both of us with laughter in his eyes. "Now that the sibling squabble is done, who's thirsty?"

Sokka raised his hand from where he lied on the dirt. "Me."

After we got something to drink, we decided to head in the direction Toph, Aang, and Katara had gone in earlier. When we spotted them a few feet away in a muddy area, we saw Aang was blindfolded and dodging attacks sent to him by both Toph and Katara. Aang easily dodged the attacks which was very impressing.

As Aang dodged another attack sent to him by Toph, she shouted, "Good job, twinkle-toes. Visualize - then attack!"

The boulder she'd sent toward Aang hit Katara instead, who winced at the painful dirt hitting her. When she regained herself, she snapped, "Maybe you should take your own advice, Toph!"

Toph smirked. "What's the matter? Can't handle some dirt, Madame Fussy Britches?"

Katara threw a wave of water at Toph drenching her. She smirked when she saw how irritated she'd made Toph. "Oh, sorry, did I splash you mud slug?"

The two girls began to wrestle in the mud then. I sighed heavily and shook my head in disbelief, while Kale watched with a raised brow.

Kale glanced at me. "Do they ever get along?"

Shaking my head, I frowned a bit. "They try, but they never seem to get very far."

Sokka grinned. "While Aang's distracted watching them…" He rushed forward toward the air bender shouting, "Yaaaaaah, sneak attack!"

Aang sighed and thrust his hand up creating a wall of dirt. Sokka ran flat into it and fell back on his butt. Kale chuckled beside me while I covered my face embarrassed for my brother.

"Sokka, sneak attacks don't work if you yell it out loud," Aang clarified. Then he turned to the two girls who were covered in mud and pushing one another back and forth. "Uh, guys, I thought we were supposed to be training _me_!"

Katara and Toph immediately pulled away, both of them dripping with mud. Katara glanced at Aang having forgotten all about him. She tried to compose herself. "Very well, pupil. I believe we've had enough training for today."

She turned and walked off back toward camp, while Toph glared at her retreating back. Toph then smirked at the group. "While Katara cleans up, let's go have some fun!"

All of the boys cheered. I rolled my eyes.

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to go see if Katara's okay."

Toph waved me off. "Sugarqueens fine… But suit yourself. Come on guys!" She turned and my brother and Aang followed her in the opposite direction from camp. Kale looked like he really wanted to go too, but didn't want to ditch me.

"Go ahead," I said. "Keep them out of trouble."

He beamed. "Thanks!" Giving me a quick kiss on the lips, he ran off to join the others as they headed toward the nearby village.

Shaking my head, I turned and headed the way Katara had gone.

Reaching camp, I saw her scowling as she rinsed her muddy hair in a bucket of water.

Walking over to her, I smiled weakly. "You alright?"

Katara sighed heavily. "That girl's going to get on my last nerve one day."

"She just likes messing with and aggravating you. You make it easy."

Katara stood straight and turned to me. "Why doesn't she aggravate you?"

Shrugging, I said, "I just don't let her bother me, Katara. You shouldn't either. Toph isn't going to change who she is."

Katara muttered something under her breath. Then she turned and picked up some of the dishes from this morning so she could wash them out. Silence fell over the both of us.

As Katara washed the dishes and I sewed up some clothes that had holes in them, I saw Katara glance over at me every now and then. After more silence passed, she finally spoke. "I heard you scream this morning."

I froze as I was about to stick the needle through Sokka's pants.

"The others heard it too… We're all worried about you," Katara continued.

Rolling my eyes, I began to pull my needle through the fabric again. "It's nothing. We're all probably scared about facing the Fire Lord. I'm just on edge with this big battle coming toward us."

Katara stared at me for a good moment, then sighed and looked away. "I've been thinking a lot about the battle ahead. More importantly I've been thinking about after the battle. What's going to happen to us? Do we just go back to the South Pole? Do we go back to our old lives and think of all of this as just a memory? What about Aang… Is he supposed to take charge of the Fire Nation? I just kind of wish we had more time. It seems like everything is happening so fast."

I smiled weakly. "Katara… I don't think Aang will let you ditch him and go back home. The kid has a really big crush on you. He'll probably hand the authority of the Fire Nation over to the Earth Kingdom or something."

Katara was surprised and blushed hard. "Aang really does like me?"

Nodding, I lowered my needle from the pants and rested everything on my lap. "The way he looks at you… It's the same way Kale looks at me. He's fallen hard for you."

Katara beamed at this, and I resisted the urge to laugh at her surprise. It was so obvious.

A few minutes passed between the two of us, until Katara broke the silence. "Amber, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said, placing Sokka's fixed pants down beside me.

She looked curious. "Do you really forgive Zuko for what he did to you?"

I smiled and looked down at my lap. "He's my brother Katara… Even though he did break my heart, I believe he has so much good inside him. He's so lost, but hopefully one day he'll find his way back."

"Don't set your hopes too high," Katara said. Standing, she picked up the dishes she had cleaned and carried them over to the rest of our supplies. Sighing heavily, I stood and walked away from her to go think alone. Her words had hurt me. I didn't want her to see that though.

Getting about a mile from camp, I plopped down on the dirt and closed my eyes. I just needed to get away for a little bit. Maybe I would just checkup on Zuko for a moment? Katara and Sokka had both told me not to spirit travel anymore, but I didn't think it would hurt me. Pulling my spirit from my body, I looked at my human form with a weak smile. I'd be back before they even knew I was gone.

My spirit teleported from the place I stood, and I found myself in the palace garden. Walking through the green grass and staring at the fire lilies all around me, I smiled a bit thinking of my Fire Nation mom. If she was really alive as Roku had said, I hoped one day I would find her.

A growl rang from nearby suddenly, and I looked over at the palace pond startled to see Azula. She was staring down at the water, her arms crossed and her face contorted in an emotion I couldn't decipher. Walking over to her, I got a closer look at her face and was shocked.

Azula was crying!

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at her reflection in the palace pond. She stood straight to try and remain composed, but I could see her shoulders were heavy with something. Azula actually looked like a fourteen year old girl at the moment. Her hair was down, something I never saw. Her eyes were red from tears and her lips trembled.

"Why are you constantly haunting me?" she asked.

I froze, scared that she knew I was here. She didn't look my way. Instead she glared daggers at the pond. "I know I killed you! It's your fault though! If you hadn't jumped in my way, the Avatar would've been the only one to die. This isn't my fault! It's yours!"

She choked back a sob. With gritted teeth she said, "Zuko hates me. My mom hated me. You hated me. Father barely looks my way… I feel so alone…"

My eyes widened.

"All I want is to make father proud. Is that too much to ask? All I wanted was a mother that loved me and didn't see me as a monster. All I wanted was to be the favorite, and for mom to stop caring about everything you did!" She was yelling at her reflection, but I knew she was truly yelling at me.

She fell to her knees then, all composure leaving her as she grabbed her hair hard. "Why do I feel so guilty?" Sobs escaped her then, and I was astounded. My little sister had cracked. She was sorry for killing me. Backing away, I turned from her as I felt pain fill inside me.

My family truly did need to be repaired.

Leaving my sister to cry, I went to the prison where my Uncle was being held. The prison was dark, cold, and almost empty. Guards were positioned every now and then in the hall, and three were positioned in front of the door my Uncle was behind. Walking right through them, I went through the door into the dark room where my Uncle's cell was. He was seated in the middle of the cell, his eyes closed as he meditated.

Stepping over to him, I sighed with relief glad to see he was okay.

Uncle's closed eyes suddenly swung open, and he looked directly at me. I jumped back startled.

"You can see me?" I asked.

My uncle stared at me with amazement. "Amber?"

Stepping up to the cell my uncle sat behind, I saw his eyes fill with relief.

"How can you see me?"

He smiled. "I have a strong connection with the spirit world…" His brows furrowed then. "Are you alive?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yep. Alive and kicking thanks to you."

He looked surprised. "Thanks to me?"

"You helped my friends escape… If you hadn't they would've been captured and I definitely would've died."

My uncle stood then, and I could see just how pale he had become from no sunlight. He walked up to the door of his cell so he could get closer to me. Stepping through the cell, I threw my arms over uncle. I wasn't sure if he felt it or not, but he showed no signs that he didn't. I couldn't feel him.

After we pulled apart then, Uncle sat and offered me the place in front of him. Sitting in front of him cross legged, I told him everything that had happened over the last month: The spirit world, Lu Ten, waking up, Huo, Roku, the battle coming near, and my little adventures with my family. He listened intently, chuckling when I told him about my brother calling the Toucan Puffins '_enemy _birds'. When I finished, I watched him wondering what his reaction to everything would be.

His eyes watered. "I'm so glad to hear all of this. When one of my men told me you were alive I was at first uncertain if I should believe him. I didn't want false hope. Yet here you are, alive, the spirit of fire in my very presence. I'm so relieved."

"And I'm glad you're okay," I said. "I was scared they were torturing you."

He chuckled. "No… They just think I'm crazy."

"I wish there was something I could do," I whispered, shutting my eyes in agony for my imprisoned uncle.

He said in return, "You've done more than you know. Now that I know about the battle coming, I'll use that day to break out."

I opened my eyes and smiled weakly at his words.

"Now the question I have for you," Uncle began. "What are you going to do? Are you going to fight your father?"

His question took me a bit off guard, but I had my answer. After seeing Azula earlier it was clear to me what I really had to do.

Shaking my head, I answered, "I'm not going into this battle looking for revenge. I learned a long time ago that revenge isn't always the right path to take. When Zhao had me that night back at the North Pole, I almost did kill him. Zuko was the one to knock some sense into me. I refuse to stoop as low as my father and kill people. Instead, I'm going to try and mend what little family we have left."

Iroh liked this answer. "You have such a pure heart. I know your mother would be so proud of you if she were here."

I wasn't sure if I should tell him, but I decided to anyway. "She's not dead."

He looked at me in surprise.

"Roku told me. She's not dead just banished. All I have to do is find her."

He seemed to have some color come back to his skin from this news. "Thank the spirits."

I stood then, hanging my head as I said, "I should get back. My family isn't too fond of my spirit traveling thing. They think I'll get stuck in the spirit world again."

Uncle stood and gave me one last hug, and this time I felt a hint of his warmth as he hugged me closely. "I'm so proud of you, Amber."

"Thanks. I love you uncle," I responded. If I could cry I would.

"I love you too," he said.

Pulling away, I began to back from him with sadness. "Don't tell Zuko I'm alive… I want it to be a surprise."

He nodded. "Your secret is safe with me."

Turning, I left the cell then and teleported back to where my human body was. My body was right where I left it, still seated cross legged waiting for me. Getting back into my body, I immediately felt my heartbeat once again. Tears filled my eyes as I thought back on everything I had seen and heard.

Eventually I found my way back to camp where the others had also returned. When I saw them my eyes widened. In Toph's hand was a large sack of coins. Katara stood in front of the four teens with fury. "You guys! This is serious! This isn't something we should make a habit out of!"

"What's going on?" I asked, walking over.

Toph answered, "We were just having some fun."

Katara turned to me. "These idiots are gambling and cheating! They're going to get us all in trouble."

I frowned. "You guys need to be careful. You could get arrested if you're caught."

My brother scoffed. "Oh please… I think if anyone tried to arrest us we could take them."

Katara seemed ready to boil over with fury. "That's not the point! Gambling is wrong!"

Toph swayed the bag of money in Katara's face. "Come on Sugar Queen… Think of all the supplies we can buy!"

Katara shot me a look, as if telling me to jump in. With a heavy sigh, I said, "Look… I know your heart is good Toph, but don't let this get out of hand. We have money. We don't need anymore."

Toph waved me off. "Relax, Princess. Aang already promised we wouldn't do it anymore. This was a once and a lifetime thing, okay?"

Katara went to argue, but I cut her off. "Just think about what you're doing, and the risks behind it," I said. Truth was, I was too tired to be dealing with this crap right now. If they all wanted to gamble they could. They were probably going to do it again anyway.

The next day I found out they did just that.

Katara looked furious as she saw Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Kale laughing as they headed back toward camp. They each held in their hands a bag of coins. They were even carrying baskets of supplies. As Katara stormed over to fume at them for gambling again, I stared at the fire that was lit to cook the fish we would have for lunch.

Katara's voice exclaimed, "Ah, I see. You're acting like this because of your parents!"

Looking over, I saw Toph seated by the fire and looking annoyed. She muttered, "Whatever."

"They were controlling over you, so you ran away, and now you act like your parents don't exist. You act like you hate them, but you don't. You just feel guilty," Katara snapped. The boys were all silent as they too sat near Toph listening to the two girls squabble.

"I _do_ hate them!" Toph snapped.

"I don't think so. I think you miss them," Katara continued. "But you just don't want to deal with that, so instead, you act like this crazy person."

Toph scowled. "Look! I ran away to help Aang!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "You know what? It doesn't matter. These scams put us all at risk, and we don't need that. We've already got some third-eyed freak after us."

Sokka interjected. "Speaking of that third-eyed freak... I think I've come up with a name for him. What do you think of..."Sparky-Sparky Boom Man"!" The group all stared at him. I shook my head letting him know it wasn't the best time. He shrugged. "Just think about it."

Katara continued as if Sokka had never spoken. "We have enough money. You need to stop this!"

"I'll stop when I want to stop, and not when you tell me!" Toph stood, used earth bending to fling her bag of money in the air, caught it, and turned leaving the group. Katara scowled and tightened her fists.

Sokka stood a moment later grabbing his own bag of money. "Speaking of money, I'm off to spend some. See you guys later."

We all watched Sokka leave unsure what to do. Toph was seated a good twenty yards away from the group, and Katara was fuming. Aang, Kale, and I decided not to say or do anything.

Later that day Sokka returned and went straight over to Toph. They conversed for a moment and I saw Toph look annoyed. He handed something to her and she took it shoving it in her shirt. Kale and I were seated by the fire, and we both suspiciously got up and walked over.

"Hey Sokka, what's…" I stopped, my eyes widening when I saw the creature perched on Sokka's shoulder. "Um…Sokka… You bought a hawk?" The large bird peaked around Sokka's head to look right at me.

Kale walked over to the hawk and held his hand out. The hawk cawed and brushed his head against Kale's hand.

"No," Sokka said. "I bought a _messenger_ hawk. His name's Hawky."

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to Sokka's shoulder and pet the bird on its wing. It cawed and shut its eyes enjoying the attention. "I guess he's cute," I said, smiling at the bird.

"Sokka, tell me you didn't buy a bird," Katara suddenly said, walking over to us. Aang followed behind.

Sokka looked almost hurt. "Not just a bird. A messenger bird! Now we can send messages all over the world, even to Gran-Gran."

Aang looked excited. "Wow, how does it work?"

Sokka looked thoughtful. "Hm, uh, I never actually thought about that. Hawky: Gran-Gran, South Pole." Sokka pointed toward the southeast. Hawky shook his head not understanding. "I think he gets it." Momo suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to chase after the hawk. We watched the animals fly above with disbelief. "Hawky, make nice! Bad Hawky!" Sokka tried to chase them and I shook my head in disbelief.

"I'm going to go cut the fish," I said. Turning, I made my way back to the campfire.

Later that day after supper, Sokka and Toph wandered back into town probably to do more scams. While they were gone Katara and Aang practiced some more water bending, and Kale and I lied on the ground staring up at the blue sky.

Shutting my eyes, I sighed as I felt the breeze run across my face.

Kale's voice suddenly broke the silence around us. "You okay," he began. "You've been acting a little off these last few days."

Opening one eye, I looked over to see he was sitting up and looking down at me. Shutting my eye again, I frowned and answered, "Just a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?"

Looking back up at the sky, I decided it couldn't hurt. This was Kale, the one person I could actually pour my heart out to. "It's nothing much. I've just decided what I'm going to do now."

After a moment, Kale asked, "What's that?"

Smiling weakly, I sat up and crossed my legs. Tracing my finger in the dirt, I drew some random curved lines. "I'm going to knock some sense into Azula."

He was surprised by what I'd spoken, but recovered. "And how will you do that?"

Looking over at him, I met his amazing brown orbs. "I'm going to let her know I forgive her."

My words really threw him off guard. "That's your plan? Your plan is to tell your sister you forgive her?" From the way he spoke, I could already tell he didn't like my plan. "The chick shot lightening at you! She almost killed you! She wants the Avatar dead! How can you just forgive her?"

"She's my sister," I said softly. "No matter what she does to me, I can't forget that we're family. If I can show her how much I still care about her, then maybe I can get her on our side."

Kale had calmed and looked stared at me with uncertainty. "You really think she'd even give you a chance to talk to her? She'll slice you the moment she sees you." He then paused, took a heavy breath, and asked, "What if you can't get her on our side.

I hung my head a bit, my heart aching at the answer. "Then I'll have to stop her completely."

His hand rested on my shoulder which felt heavy. "Well… I guess the only thing we can do is hope it doesn't come to that."

Nodding, I agreed.

Later that day Toph and Sokka returned once more from town carrying a bunch of freshly bought supplies. They were laughing and looked to have been up to no good once more.

Katara stood from where we were seated by the campfire and stomped over to them. "Well, look who decided to join us. Where have you two been? Off scamming again?"

Toph smirked. "Yes we were."

Katara scowled. "And I suppose you don't think what you're doing is dangerous at all?"

"No I don't."

"Really?"

Toph narrowed her eyes. "Yes, really."

Katara held a piece of paper in the blind girls face suddenly. "Well, then what's this?!"

Toph threw her arms up in exasperation. "I don't know! I mean, seriously, what's with you people I'm blind!" She pointed at her misty eyes to clarify.

"It's a wanted poster of you. "The Runaway". Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this?" Katara held the poster closer to Toph's face.

"Where did you get that?!" Toph shouted.

Katara lowered the poster. "It doesn't matter where I got it. The fact is…"

"You went through my stuff! You had no right," Toph snapped.

"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening up and I happened to stumble across it."

"That's a lie! You're lying, Katara."

Katara fought back. "Fine! It's a lie. But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up. I knew you were hiding something, and you were." Toph knocked the poster from Katara's hand and walked away. Katara shouted after her, "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"

Toph turned sharply. "Oh, really, Mom? Or what are you going to do? Send me to my room?"

Katara shouted, "I wish I could!"

"Well, you can't. Because you're not my mom, and you're not their mom." Toph turned and pointed at the rest of us who were watching the scene unsure what to do. Aang looked like he wanted to jump in, but I gestured for him to stay out of it.

Katara scowled. "I never said I was!"

"No, but you certainly act like it. You think it's your job to boss everyone around, but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. I can do whatever I want!"

"I don't act that way!" She darted her eyes over to Sokka. "Sokka, do I act motherly?"

My brother held up his hands in surrender. "Hey- I'm staying out of this one."

Katara glanced over at me but I just backed up a little and looked away. I really didn't want to get in the middle of her and Toph's squabble.

"What do you think, Aang? Kale?"

Kale seemed uncertain of what to say. Aang stumbled to find words, but couldn't think of what to say either. He started to rub his eye and Katara scolded him. He quickly stopped and I shook my head in disbelief.

Toph's voice broke through the air again. "I can't be around you right now!"

Katara scowled. "Well I can't be around you!"

They both stormed off and we watched them go speechlessly. When they were a good thirty yards apart from one another, they both plopped down on the ground facing opposite directions.

"Um… Should we do something?" Kale finally asked, breaking the silence.

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. Give them some time alone."

The next thirty minutes was very long and very quiet. Sokka eventually got bored enough and wrote a letter to Katara which was signed from Toph. His messenger hawk delivered it to Katara who immediately shouted, "I know this is from you, Sokka. Toph can't write. Ugh, you're all driving me crazy!" She stood and stomped away from the group.

A moment of silence passed once more. Finally, I spoke. "Go talk to Toph, Sokka. I'll go talk to Katara." My brother sighed, knowing I was right. As he walked over to Toph, seated on a small boulder, I turned and followed Katara's path.

Walking down a steep rocky path, I found Katara had stripped to her swim wear and was in a small stream floating. "Katara… Can we talk?"

She looked over at me, her blue eyes filled with annoyance from the events that occurred in these last few hours. She nodded.

Stepping to the edge of the water, I let out a hard sigh. "I know Toph can be really stubborn, but she does have a good heart."

Katara scowled. "I'm so tired of her attitude. Why does she have to be so wild?"

Crossing my arms, I said, "Think about it Katara… Toph's lived her whole life under her parents every watch. She's been locked in a gate and the only real freedom she's had is earth bending in the arena. She's acting this way because she wants freedom. I do agree her attitude is wrong, but yours isn't doing much good either."

Katara gasped. "My attitude! She's the one who's going to get us all caught! I'm trying to protect the group!"

"I know what you're trying to do Katara. I appreciate you wanting to protect us. However, we won't be able to win this fight if you and Toph are constantly at odds and ends with each other. We're a family. We need to stick together."

"You should be telling this to Toph, not me!"

"Sokka's taking care of Toph. We all agree that you two need to get along. We still have a long ways to go. We won't be able to win a war if you two hate each other."

Katara went to say something else, but stopped. She then let out a hard sigh. "I don't hate her… I just don't know what to say to her without the both of us butting heads."

Looking at the water below, I said, "Just show her kindness and understanding. Hopefully one day she'll give the same back to you." Turning, I left Katara to think over what I had said.

As the sun finally started to lower, and we got ready to hit the hay, Katara finally returned from thinking. Toph stood from where she had silently been seated and walked over to meet her.

"Hi Toph, um… I want to-"

Toph cut Katara off. "Katara, stop. You don't need to apologize. I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them."

Katara smirked. "Actually, I wasn't going to apologize. I was gonna say... I want to pull a scam with you!"

We all gaped. Toph seemed at a loss for words, but finally said, "What? You want to pull a scam?"

"Not just any scam...the ultimate scam! What do you say, Toph? Just me and you... one last go. You in?"

Toph beamed, "You know I'm in! Now what's this idea of yours?" They started to walk off to talk, but I finally came out of my shock.

"What?! Wait a second!"

They both looked at me with question.

"I thought you were against these scams," I snapped at Katara. "Now you want to participate in one?"

My sister crossed her arms. "Relax, Amber. I know what I'm doing." She then took Toph's arm and they both walked off to plot their scam.

Silence passed over the group as everyone was still in shock by Katara's sudden bold attitude. Kale was the one to break the silence. "Should we stop them?"

Sokka and Aang recovered after Kale spoke. Sokka waved his hand. "No… Let them. Maybe now they'll finally get along."

Later that night while everyone was asleep, I couldn't really drift. My mind was clouded once more. One thing I was worried about was this scam Katara and Toph were planning to do. Another thing that ran my brain wild was the future battle looming ahead. Yanking my sleeping bag over my head, I tried to sink into the dark around me, but it didn't work. I'd have another sleepless night.

Sighing, I shoved my sleeping bag off and crawled out of it. Standing, I silently crept away from camp so the others wouldn't wake and see me go. When I was a good mile from camp, I plopped down beside a boulder and curled up into a tight ball. Lighting a flame in my hand, I stared at the different colors it created and took in its warmth. The small ball of life in my hand made my spirit lift greatly.

Sometimes I hated being the spirit of fire. Other times though, it had its up sides.

A sudden strong heat source appeared, and I gasped cutting off my own fire. Jumping up from where I was seated, I twisted and scanned the area around me. The rocky dark area I was in was quiet and barren. The fire was so near though, and I sensed I'd felt this fire before. Actually, I had a strong feeling I knew who the fire belonged to.

Lighting a flame in my hand again, I scanned the area trying to locate the source of the strong hot flame I sensed. Where was he?

"Show yourself!" I shouted, inching forward prepared to fight. There was nothing but darkness in front of me, but I knew he was very near. "Stop hiding!"

The fire intensified suddenly and I gasped as I dashed to the right. The ground exploded in the exact spot I had been in. As debris flew from the impact of the explosion, I felt the blast of heat shove me forward. Slamming to the ground, I grunted as pain shot through my body.

"Who said I'm hiding," a familiar voice hissed.

The heat grew again, and I gasped rolling out of the way once more. The blast of fire hit the spot I'd just been in sending more debris and dust around me. Coughing, I tried to regain myself as my thoughts were wild. How did he find us? Why do I always get into these situations?

Jumping to my feet, I held my hand out toward the tall man with the metal foot stopping the flames inside him. He stood there, his eyes wide as I stopped his fire from exiting the eye tattoo on his forehead. If I could just take away 'sparky sparky boom man's' flame forever then he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again.

A loud 'caw' suddenly sounded and sharp talons grabbed my face ripping into my cheek. Immediately I cried out breaking my concentration and trying to swing a flame at the monstrous bird. It cawed again and flew off, leaving blood and a sharp sting on my cheek.

"You won't get in my way this time," the metal footed man hissed. Turning toward him with terror, I saw his fist swing at my face. My world went black.

When I came to later on it was because someone was nudging me in the side. Groaning, I opened my eyes groggily to see Toph sitting beside me. "Amber… You're awake!" She sounded almost relieved. Her voice pierced through my head making me wince in pain.

"Toph," I began, my voice hoarse from being out for so long. "What are you-"

My eyes widened then as everything came back to me. Sitting up, I immediately winced as the cuffs around my wrists dug into my skin. My wrists were cuffed behind my back, most likely so fire bending would be ten times harder. Looking around I saw Toph and I were in a wooden cage. That meant she had been captured too.

"Amber, how did you end up here?"

My head pulsed as I remembered the man's fist meet my skull. "That man! He knocked me out… uh… I'm so useless," I said, squirming to try and burn off my cuffs.

Toph looked confused. "Man? What man?"

"The guy who can shoot fire from his forehead… He's here," I said, stopping my squirming and hanging my head in defeat.

She scowled and went to speak but was cut off.

The door to the jail we were in suddenly opened, and we heard grunts. Looking up, we both saw Katara who looked surprised to see me. The two male guards that had a grasp on her pulled her over to the wooden cage. One of the guards opened the door and they shoved her inside. When the door was closed and locked, the men smirked at us. The shorter guard sneered, "Three prisoners in one day. I'd say this is a new record." He turned and started to leave.

The taller one, who had a scar on his eyebrow, looked over at me as he was following his shorter partner. Recognition passed through him.

Stepping up to the cell, he asked directly to me, "Hey… Do I know you?"

Hanging my head, I shook it praying he wouldn't figure out I was the princess of the fire nation. "Shang! Come on. You can question them later," the other guard snapped, grabbing the taller one and dragging him away from us. They left the jail room shutting the steel door behind.

We all sighed with relief. If they found out I was alive, then they'd know the avatar was alive too. Last thing we wanted was to lose our cover.

Katara was the first to recover from the silence. Walking over to me, she looked confused. "Amber… How did you get captured? And what happened to your face?"

Katara knelt beside me and I winced as she touched the side of my face. It was when she did this I felt a sharp pain erupt from the cut given to me by that stupid bird. Wincing, I answered, "I ran into that man again; the one who can shoot fire from his head. I tried to take away his bending but his bird threw me off and he got the upper hand. He knocked me out."

"Why did you leave camp?!" Katara cried, not happy to find out I was wandering through the dark night alone.

"I couldn't sleep," I answered.

Katara sighed plopping down beside me. "You're so reckless."

"I'm reckless! I'm not the one whose scam got everyone thrown in jail."

Toph protested. "How were we supposed to know the cell would be made out of wood. It was a great plan at the time."

"It didn't work though… That man got us… Now he'll probably go after Aang," Katara said, feeling utterly guilty. "I can't believe I was so stupid. See, this is exactly why I'm against these scams. I knew this would happen." Katara pulled her knees to her chest in shame. If I weren't cuffed, I would've hugged her to let her know it was okay. Trying to melt off my cuffs with my own fire, I listened to the conversation continue.

Toph's voice echoed through the cell. "But...this was your idea."

"I know. I wanted to show you that I'm not so motherly. I wanted to show you that I can have fun too," Katara muttered, lifting her head.

"Katara, you are fun. If nothing else, you're at least fun to argue with," Toph joked.

Katara smiled weakly. "I know your relationship with your parents is complicated, and I shouldn't have said what I said."

Toph suddenly had tears form in her misty eyes. "It's ok. I was really mad when you said that because; well, because maybe it's true. I try not to think about it, but when I left, I probably really hurt them."

Silence passed over us, and I continued to work on my cuffs. Sweat beaded down my forehead a little as I worked hard to melt my cuffs but not set the whole jail on fire.

An explosion suddenly sounded just at the moment when I melted my cuffs off. Freeing my hands, I stood and walked over to the cage door. Toph and Katara were on their feet now, seeing me move and having heard the explosion.

Katara stated the obvious. "Aang and the others are in trouble!"

Grabbing the wooden door right where the key hole happened to be, I hissed, "It's payback time."

Smashing my hand forward, I hit the wooden door hard with fire. The doors lock broke off and flew across the air hitting the steel wall in front of us. Slamming the door open, I turned to Toph and Katara who were amazed at my move.

Toph smirked. "Way to go Princess."

Katara was already rushing past me. "Let's go!"

We rushed out of the jail building and ran into the center of the village that Toph had been doing her scams in. Running outside, I winced a bit at the sudden sunlight. It was mid- afternoon, so I was surprised to not see other villagers nearby.

An explosion sounded and the three of us turned to see Aang fly through the air and smash into a giant statue of my father the Fire Lord. The statue was centered in the middle of the town square, and Aang fell painfully at the statues feet. The man who had knocked the wind out of me last night stood a few yards away, and he smirked when he saw he had hit the avatar.

Rushing forward, I shot a strong gust of fire at the man. He wasn't expecting it and the force knocked him a good thirty feet. He landed on the ground hard and went limp from smashing his head against the hard dirt. Taking a step toward the man who was knocked unconscious on the ground, I snapped, "That's for last night!"

As I turned to head over to Aang who I assumed Katara and Toph had run over to help, I was immediately stopped as arms wrapped around me.

"Amber! I was so worried!" Kale hugged me tightly with relief. "Stop disappearing on me!"

I smiled weakly, glad to feel his embrace. "Sorry," I said softly.

Sokka appeared only a second later, saying, "We need to get out of here before he wakes up."

Looking over, I saw Aang was to his feet, just a little dazed. Katara and Toph had a hold of both of his arms and were pulling him along. We all ran out of the village and headed back toward camp. As we ran Sokka said, "Hey, I got it. The perfect name for that guy! "Combustion Man"!"

Toph turned her head and shouted, "Good job, Sokka. Now let's get out of here before "Combustion Man" catches us!"

Sokka exclaimed, "See? It fits so well!"

I smiled a bit as we ran. "Definitely better than 'Sparky Sparky Boom Man'."

Eventually we made it back to camp, out of breath and ready to put combustion man behind us. We quickly packed up camp and climbed onto Appa flying off into the sky. As we flew through the sky Katara healed my cheek with some water. She then asked, "Why do you think this guy is chasing us? Do you think he really was sent to kill Aang?"

"He definitely wasn't trying to capture me," Aang muttered, seated on Appa's head with Momo on his shoulder.

Sokka scowled. "I can tell you exactly why this guy is chasing us! I've felt it in my gut for the last week. Prince Zuko sent an assassin to kill Aang!"

It was Kale who argued. "Prince Zuko saw Aang die. How would he know the Avatar's alive?"

I didn't hear them argue anymore. Instead my mind wandered off a bit. It couldn't be true… Zuko was determined but he wasn't a killer. He wouldn't sign Aang's death wish. There was no way he would sign Aang's death wish.

"It has to be Prince Zuko! I know he did this. All he's ever wanted was to stop Aang. What better way to do that than to kill him completely."

I shut my eyes tightly, agony filling inside me. "No… It can't be him," I whispered, my voice weak.

Katara noticed the conversation was really upsetting me, and she tried to change the subject. "Forget about combustion man. We're miles from him now. We need to find somewhere else to make camp for the night; preferably somewhere away from any town or village."

The group broke into conversation again, this time about camp. As they conversed I continued to think on what Sokka had said.

Would Zuko really try to kill Aang? Would he really try to kill my friend?

The thought made me sick. I really hoped it wasn't so.


	9. Bloody Witch

**A/N: Next Chapter! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! This is a long chapter, so enjoy!**

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><p>The fire was very warm as we sat around it listening to ghost stories. We were in the forest, and there was no light in the sky because the moon was behind the clouds. The stories being told weren't really that scary, although Aang did describe to us what the spirit Koh looked like. A long giant centipede who could change his face. That was a pretty creepy real story.<p>

"Thank goodness I didn't become a spirit like Koh," I had said. Everyone cringed a bit at the thought.

Toph had just finished telling us her scary story about a possessed badger mole that ate off some man's head. Before her, Kale had told us a creepy story about a ghost girl who had visited him one night at the tea shop and threatened to steal his soul. Now it was Sokka's turn and he gave us two stories he thought were scary. One was about a man who lost his hand and replaced it with a sword, then went around and slaughtered a whole village. His next story which he was telling made absolutely no sense.

"Suddenly, they heard something down the hall, in the dark. Oooh... It came into the torchlight. And they knew the blade of Wing - Fun was haunted! Aah-ah..." He made a terrible sound and I winced. Everyone else stared at him not impressed.

Aang spoke up. "I think I liked "the man with a sword for a hand" better."

Toph said, "Water Tribe slumber parties must stink."

I sighed. "There aren't water tribe slumber parties… That's why this scary story thing isn't working out very well."

Katara tried to save the water tribes dignity though. "No, wait, I've got one, and this is a true Southern Water Tribe story."

Sokka and I both rolled our eyes. Sokka asked, "Is this one of those "a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to" stories?"

They told a lot of stories like that around the campfire, and none of the stories were scary. They were always about some dude who wandered too far from the village and encountered creepy ghosts. Now that I thought about it, perhaps they were really seeing ghosts. I'd seen some in the past. Oma and Shu were technically ghosts in a way.

Katara answered Sokka, "No, it happened to Mom."

Shivers went up my spine when Katara mentioned mom. I hadn't thought of her much over these last few weeks. Now images started flooding through me and I winced trying to shove the pain away.

Katara began her story in a low voice. "One winter, when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice," Katara's voice went higher as she imitated a little girl's voice. ""It's so cold and I can't get warm."" Her voice went back to normal as she continued. "Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but... when everyone came back, Nini was gone."

Sokka's eyes were wide with horror, while Kale looked thoughtful over the story. Aang looked terrified while Toph seemed unfazed. Honestly, shivers were going up my spine at the story. It was pretty creepy.

"Where'd she go?" Sokka asked, burning with curiosity.

Katara frowned and leaned forward toward the fire. "No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm."

Everyone shivered by Katara's story. It was very creepy. Even Toph seemed a little freaked after Katara finished.

Toph quickly recovered and looked in my direction. "Alright Princess, your turn."

I shrugged. "I don't really have one."

Aang looked like he didn't believe me. "Oh come on… You have to have something!"

Looking at the fire, I answered weakly, "The only scary stories I have are of my father, Zhao, and dying. Which one do you want to hear first?" My voice broke off as more memories spilled through me. The group went quiet, and an awkward silence fell over us.

Finally Sokka broke it. "What about the time you were almost eaten by a leopard seal? That was pretty scary."

I smiled. "That was you, Sokka. If I recall you were the one being chased, and I saved your hide."

Sokka got defensive. "That's not true! I was running it away from you!"

"And I threw fire at it scaring it off. Looks like we both were hero's that day. Glad it didn't eat you," I joked.

Sokka rolled his eyes while I smirked.

"Wait. Guys, did you hear that?" Toph stood and looked terrified. "I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming." More shivers went down my spine. Most of the group looked horrified by what she spoke.

Sokka waved her off. "Pft, nice try."

Looking at Toph, I could tell she wasn't making it up. It was the first time I'd seen Toph so scared. She was actually hearing what she heard.

"No, I'm serious, I hear something," Toph said, concentrating very hard.

"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories," Katara said, but her voice was weak from her own fear.

Toph's tight lips turned into a confused frown. "It just stopped."

Aang had his arms crossed and was shivering. "All right, now I'm getting scared."

I tried to calm the situation. "Come on guys… Ghosts are just spirits that wander the human world. If there were ghosts in the area I would know."

Sokka looked at me bewildered. "What do you mean? You've seen ghosts?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm a spirit, Sokka. What did you expect?"

"Hello, children," a voice came out of nowhere suddenly and everyone in the group, except for myself, Toph, and Kale, screamed. Even Momo jumped from where he'd been seated and flew to hide behind Aang. Aang, Katara, and Sokka hugged each other in fear, earning an eye roll from me. Turning, I looked to see who our intruder was.

An older woman came into the camp's fire light. Her skin was wrinkled showing she was very old. Her hair was gray and very long, done up in a large bun. From the fire light I couldn't really tell what color her eyes were. She wore commoner fire nation clothing with colors of tan, black, and red. Her eyes darted to Kale and I, and for a moment I swear I saw malice. She quickly covered it with a smile. "Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?"

The group all seemed to brighten at this. Sokka still looked terrified as he answered, "Yes please."

As the group packed up what little we had taken out, and Aang went to get Appa out of the small cave he was sleeping in, we followed Hama through the dark forest toward her home. As we walked, I felt Kale grab my arm and pull me back from the group a bit. He asked in a low whisper, "Was it just me, or did this woman look ready to kill you and I?"

I took Kale's hand and held it tightly. "It wasn't just you."

Eventually we arrived at Hama's wooden inn. Aang took Appa and Momo to her barn out back so they could have a place to stay too. We were surprised she wasn't fazed when she saw the giant flying bison with us. Did she know who we were?

Hama opened the wooden door of her inn and gestured for us to enter. The others entered with relief and excitement, but Kale and I entered cautiously. When we passed Hama, she gave us a different facial expression than she gave the others. This one was a tight smile, as if she were trying to be nice to us.

Now that there was a better lighting from the many candles around us, I saw Hama's eyes were a grayish blue. That wasn't a very common color for the Fire Nation. I had a feeling this woman wasn't Fire Nation.

Walking through the inn I noticed it was very quiet and empty. For inn, this old woman wasn't getting many customers.

After passing a few doors and going up three steps, Hama led all of us into a giant room with a large table. Aang rejoined us a moment after we entered the room.

"I'll go make you all some tea. Be back in a moment." Hama left the room leaving us in an awkward silence.

As we stood in the room, and I made sure Hama wasn't nearby to hear, I finally spoke. "We shouldn't stay here. Something seems off."

Sokka waved me off. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Kale snapped in a low voice, "She could kill us all!"

Sokka looked surprised by Kale's own words. Katara rolled her eyes at us and responded, "Stop being paranoid. This woman's a kind old lady who's offered us a place to stay for the night. She's not dangerous."

Katara walked past me then and took seat at the table. The table had wooden chairs around it for all of us to sit at. The others hesitated but after a moment followed Katara's lead and sat. Kale and I shot one another an uncertain look. There was something in my gut telling me this woman was not all she seemed to be. Kale and I stuck close to one another, sitting beside each other at the table and staying alert.

Eventually Hama returned and placed teacups in front of each of us. When she reached Kale, I saw her eyebrow twitch a bit. She was trying so hard to hide that she despised Kale and I. After giving each of us a teacup, she poured us some tea and then took her own seat at the head of the table.

"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn," Katara commented.

Hama seemed pleased by her words. "Aren't you sweet? You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in." She took a sip of her tea as if her words didn't faze her. I stared at her with suspicion as I sipped my warm tea. Did she have something to do with it?

Sokka leaned forward. "What do you mean, disappearing?"

Hama replied ominously, "When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out."

Shivers went up and down my spine. The others looked horrified by what she had spoken. Hama passed it off.

Holding up the tea pitcher, she asked with a smile, "Who wants more tea?" We all stayed silent, just continuing to stare at her. She frowned, lowering the tea pitcher. "Don't worry; you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms, and you can get a good night's rest?"

Hama stood then and gestured for us to follow. We did, although Kale, Sokka, and I hesitated. Sokka must've realized something was off too. Eventually she gave us each our own individual rooms for the night. First she got the guys situated, and then she led us girls to our room. Toph and Katara were given their rooms first, leaving me for last.

"Come. We don't have all night," she said. Grabbing my arm, a bit too hard for my comfort, she dragged me toward another room and opened the door. Pushing me inside, I turned to see her stand in the doorway with narrowed eyes. "Hope you have pleasant dreams." She turned and started walking away.

"What's your problem?"

My voice startled her, and she stopped in her step going tense. Turning, she gave me a very tight and fake smile. "What do you mean child? I have no problem."

I scowled. "You may have the others fooled, but I can see right through your mask Hama. You despise me and Kale for some reason. Why?"

She frowned, her eyes darkening as she walked over to me. I stood my ground as she got right in front of me. There were candles lit in the room Hama had given me, so I could see her face well.

"Why… why! Because you two are Fire Nation," she hissed. "Your kind took everything from me!" She was trying hard not to raise her voice and alert the others.

Staring deeper into her eyes, I said, "Kale and I may be Fire Nation, but we're nothing like those monsters."

She suddenly grabbed my chin with her hand, her nails digging into my skin. She dug hard enough that I actually winced and felt the sting of a cut. "I know exactly who you are, Princess Amber. I know who all of you are." She leaned forward so her face was inches from mine. "You may think you're saving the world, but I can see right through those gold eyes. You're a monster just like all the rest. You'll burn someone one day, and when you do the whole world will see through your mask."

I frowned. "What happened to you?"

She yanked her hand away and turned sharply. "I don't share my pain with scum like you." Grabbing my door she went to leave but stopped. Turning her head, she said over her shoulder in a cold voice, "Good night, child." The door shut a bit roughly as she left.

With a hard sigh, I turned and walked over to the small cot in the room. Lying on the hard mattress, I stared up at the ceiling for hours. It was only when the candles started to burn out that I drifted to sleep.

When I woke up some time later, it was because I heard a knock on my door. Groaning, I opened my eyes and stared through blurry vision at the dimly lit room. The sun was shining through the shutters of the window.

"Amber, it's Kale."

Sitting up, I yawned hard and gave a big stretch. Then getting off the cot, I made my way to the door and opened it. Kale stood on the other side, dressed but looking exhausted.

I grew concerned. "Couldn't sleep last night?"

He shook his head. "Not in this inn." He noticed my eyes were tired too. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Guess I was afraid too."

He smiled weakly. "I guess were going into town with Hama to get supplies. We'll be leaving in ten minutes if you want to…" His eyes suddenly caught something cutting him off. I jumped when his hand gently grabbed my chin. His finger traced over a spot, and I winced when it stung. He frowned. "Looks like you had a talk with Hama last night. Her nails left some scratches."

Grabbing his hand weakly, I hung my head a bit saying, "It's nothing. It was my fault. I questioned her last night."

He narrowed his eyes. "We should tell the others."

I shook my head. "It's best to leave it alone. We'll only make a scene."

He sighed heavily, but nodded in understanding.

When I got ready for the day I emerged from my room and headed down the hall of the inn. The others were already in the same dining room we'd been in the night before. Hama was passing out some baskets to my family. When she handed one to Kale she shot him a hard look. He shot her one back.

Katara must've sensed the tension between both Hama and Kale, because she quickly said, "Oh. Well everyone's here. We can head out now."

Hama smiled kindly at Katara, pretending as if the tension between her and Kale had never happened. "Right you are, Katara. Come along children." She gestured for us to follow her out of the dining room and into the hall of the inn. Eventually we made our way outside and started heading down a rocky path toward the town seen at the bottom of the hill.

As we headed down to the town, I saw Katara slow so she was walking in pace of both Kale and I. She came to scold us. "Can't you two try to act nice? This woman has given us a free place to stay, and you two are being rude."

Kale, who had handed his basket to me at the beginning of the walk, crossed his arms in defense. "I'm not going to be nice to some woman who looks at me with disgust. I dealt enough with that crap working at the palace. If you want me to play nice then she has to play nice too."

Katara rolled her eyes and hissed so only we would hear, "You're being ridiculous. Hama is a kind woman who has shown us nothing but respect since we got here." Her eyes shot toward me. "What do you have to say to all of this?"

I stared up at the sky for a moment, not really sure how to respond. Finally, the words came to me. Looking ahead, I saw Hama and Aang were chatting so I knew she wouldn't be able to hear me. "Just remember something, Katara… When I have a bad feeling about someone, it's usually right. I tried to tell you guys about Jet when we first met him and none of you listened to me. Hama isn't what you think she is. Open your eyes now or were all going to get hurt."

Katara was shocked by my words, and more importantly she was astonished I'd bring Jet back up of all people. Getting defensive, she snapped, "I don't know why you two are acting like this, but you need to cut it out." She stormed off then to go catch up to Hama, Aang, and Toph.

Sokka had been walking behind us during our conversation with Katara, and he rushed forward a bit to walk beside me. "Do you really think Hama's dangerous?"

We jumped when we heard Sokka's voice come out of nowhere. I was surprised by his question. "You believe us?"

He nodded, and his brows furrowed a bit as he thought it over. "There's something odd about her. I can sense she's not the kind old lady Katara and the others believe her to be."

Kale sighed. "Well at least we have one person on our side."

Eventually we got into the small fire nation town where a small market area was set up. As Hama walked around buying groceries from different men and women's stalls, we followed her around collecting the things she bought. My basket was the first to be filled, and when Hama saw there was no more room she looked relieved. Hama said with a leveled voice, "Why don't you and that young man head back to the inn? The others can carry the rest."

Hama just wanted to get Kale and I out of her sight. That's why she filled my basket first. Sokka noticed this too, and he looked over at us with a knowing look. Katara seemed oblivious, but I noticed Aang and Toph were bewildered by how much Hama wanted Kale and I gone.

So the only person who was blinded by Hama's disgust toward Kale and I was Katara.

"Come on," Kale said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me away from the group.

I scowled. "I really don't like her."

He seemed annoyed too. "I'm with you on that one."

Instead of going straight back to Hama's inn we walked around the town a little bit. After walking for about ten minutes, Kale suddenly froze. If he hadn't been holding my hand, I don't think I would've stopped. We both turned to see a young girl of maybe five with long black hair. Her gold eyes looked up at Kale with tears, and it was then I saw she had grabbed his shirt to get his attention.

"You okay sweetie?" I asked, letting go of Kale's hand and walking over to the girl. Kneeling in front of her so I was at her eye level, she shook her head. "What's wrong?"

She let go of Kale's shirt then and rubbed her tear filled eyes saying, "I can't find my mommy."

I smiled kindly, saying, "Do you want us to help you look for her?"

She sniffled and nodded, her big eyes staring up at me with plea. Kale spoke up, "Where's the last place you saw her?"

"I don't know," she whimpered. "Mommy… mommy…" She broke into sobs then and I felt my heart fill with pain at this girl's sadness. I knew what it was like to want my mom too.

"Kaylee! There you are," a deep male voice suddenly said, and Kale and I looked up to see a man in his mid-twenties walk over. His eyes were gold like the girl's, and his short cropped black hair was as dark as the girl's. The girl jumped by the man's voice, but turned and cried, "Daddy!" She ran into his arms and he picked her up hugging her to him.

He looked over at us then with a weak smile. "Sorry about that. Kaylee's mom went missing a few weeks ago. She runs to the market everyday hoping to find her."

"What do you mean, went missing?" Kale asked.

The man hung his head and frowned, his face contorting with pain. "She went out one night to go visit her friend at the edge of the town. She took Kaylee with her as some company. They never came back though, and when I went out looking for them I found Kaylee running toward me in tears. She told me a creepy old monster used weird magic to carry her mom away. With the rumors of the kidnapping spirit going around, I fear Kaylee's story may be true."

My eyes widened. A spirit was kidnapping people?

"That's horrible," I said softly. "How many people have gone missing?"

The man placed his daughter back down and took her hand in his. "Including my wife, twelve. The kidnappings only happen during nights when there's a full moon." His eyes then furrowed and he stared at me with sudden recognition. "Do I know you?"

Oh crap! He must've recognized me from posters in the past.

Kale took my hand again. "We've been to this town a few times in the past. You've probably seen us around."

We left the man and his daughter then. Pushing aside the fact that the man almost knew who I was, Kale and I focused more on the disappearances. We were shocked. A spirit kidnapping people? That was very rare. The only spirit that had done that was Hei Bei, and that was because the Fire Nation had burned down his forest home. Otherwise most spirits in the human world minded their own business and left humans alone.

Kale must've noticed I was deep in thought. "What are you thinking?"

I crossed my arms, though it was kind of hard with a basket of food in my hand. "I don't know… This whole spirit thing just seems off to me. Spirits don't have a specified time their allowed to roam the earth. If they want to kidnap people they can do it whenever they want."

"So you don't think it's a spirit?"

Shaking my head, I met his eyes with knowing. "My gut is telling me no. The only spirit I could even think of that would actually care if the moon is full or not is Yue, and I highly doubt she's rushing to earth and kidnapping fire nation citizens."

"So if it's not a spirit then who…" Kale cut himself off as realization came to him. "Hama! It has to be her!"

"We can't be sure just yet… We need to find proof before we point fingers," I said, realizing just because we didn't like the woman didn't make her a complete monster.

Kale calmed a bit, realizing I was right.

Eventually we got back to the inn, and it was only a few minutes after we did that Toph, Sokka, Aang, and Katara also arrived.

When they saw us Sokka was quick to speak. "You know what, I'm officially siding with you guys now." He pointed at Kale and I and walked over to us. "That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something."

Katara was quick to defend once more. "That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran-Gran."

I scoffed earning a glare from Katara.

Sokka turned to speak to Katara. "But what did she mean by that comment, "mysterious children"?"

Katara crossed her arms. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found six strange kids, camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?"

I wondered if I should've told them Hama already new who we really happened to be, but I let it slide for now.

"I'm gonna take a look around," Sokka said. He placed his basket down on the table and headed out of the kitchen we were standing in into the hall. We all immediately placed our own stuff down and followed. Sokka began to open door after door, drawer after drawer, his eyes looking in every corner for something Hama might've been hiding.

Katara looked like a nervous wreck as he did this. "Sokka! Sokka, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house."

Sokka waved her off. "It will be fine." He opened another door.

Aang was nervous. "She could be home in any minute."

Katara snapped again, "Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble, and this is just plain rude!"

Sokka snapped back at her, "I'm not finished yet!" He waved us along. "Come on!" Eventually he reached a wooden cabinet and yanked it open. Over twenty marionette dolls fell forward and we all screamed surprised by the wooden puppets leaning toward us. Sokka had actually drawn his sword in terror and Kale had grabbed me pulling me away from the cabinet.

Aang was shaken up. "Ok, that's pretty creepy."

Katara stepped forward shutting the door. "So... she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough. Hama will be back soon."

Sokka ignored her and continued walking through the inn. We eventually ended up at a small staircase that led to another wooden door. Sokka walked up it and tried to open the door, but it was locked. He looked satisfied as he turned back to Katara. "Just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door up here?"

Katara scowled. "Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff."

I decided to speak up now. "If it's locked then there's no point in trying to get in."

Sokka looked at me amazed by my words. "Don't you want to know what's inside? There could be proof that Hama isn't the sweet lady she claims to be."

Kale smirked. "Maybe she has a rotting corpse inside?"

"Kale!" Katara snapped. She then turned to Sokka again. "This is ridiculous! Hama has done nothing wrong to deserve this."

Sokka ignored her and looked through the peak hole. "It's empty except for a little chest."

Toph exclaimed, "Maybe its treasure."

Sokka beamed at this. Turning he began to pick at the lock with his sword.

Katara clutched her hair in terror. "Sokka, what are you doing? You're breaking into a private room."

He ignored her again. "I have to see what's in there." A click sounded and the door swung open. Inside the sun lit room stood a small wooden chest. Sokka walked up to it and we followed behind. I wondered what was inside it, but I also knew Katara was right. This was breaking and entering. No matter how much I despised Hama, we were invading her privacy.

Aang clutched his own short dark hair anxiously. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Sokka picked up the chest brushing Aang's concerns off. He tried to open the chest, but it was locked. "Maybe there's a key here somewhere."

Toph pushed through Kale and I walking up to Sokka. "Oh, hand it over." She took the chest from Sokka, then yanked off the bracelet on her arm. The bracelet was made out of a chunk of left over space rock from Sokka's sword. Molding the space rock into a key with her bending, she stuck the key inside and started to fiddle with the lock.

Sokka leaned in getting anxious. Katara looked like she was losing it. Aang seemed curious but nervous at the same time. Kale stepped forward to get a closer look. My eyes darted to the door swearing I heard a floor board creak.

Sokka became eager. "Come on, come on!"

Toph snapped, "This isn't as easy it looks."

Looking back at Toph I saw her concentrating hard on the chest, biting her lip as she did her work. Aang was uncertain we should continue. "Guys, I don't know about this."

Katara turned sharply. "This is crazy, I'm leaving!"

Sokka waved her off. "Suit yourself. Do it, Toph."

A click sounded and the chest slowly was opened. All of us tried to get a view, even Katara who must've been as curious as the rest of us.

"I'll tell you what's in the box."

We all screamed and turned in surprise to see Hama standing at the doorway. She seemed not too upset by our intrusion. Sokka hung his head with guilt as he handed the box over to Hama. Hama opened the box fully and pulled out what was inside. In her hand was an old blue comb.

Sokka seemed disappointed. "An old comb?"

Hama smiled. "It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."

That surprised me. It made since though. Her blue eyes, and her hatred toward the fire nation should've been a giveaway.

Katara's eyes were wide. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe?"

She nodded. "Just like you."

"How did you know?"

Hama looked at all of us knowing who we really were but not admitting it. "I heard you talking around your campfire."

Sokka jumped in. "But why didn't you tell us?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big, Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough."

Aang grimaced at the mentioning of sea prunes. "Great…"

I knew what he meant. I hated sea prunes too.

Katara was way too excited right now. "I knew I felt a bond with you right away."

"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right," Sokka said. Katara elbowed him in the side with disapproval. He rubbed the spot but hung his head. "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around."

She waved it off. "Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking."

Everyone started following her out of the room, but Sokka, Kale, and I stayed behind. When I was sure she was out of ear shot, I said, "I still don't trust her."

Sokka nodded. "My only question is, if she's from the Southern Water Tribe, then how did she end up at a fire nation town?"

Kale sighed heavily. "I guess all we can do is ask."

Later that evening we sat around the table and Hama placed plates in front of us. Then her, Katara, and myself helped bring in food from the kitchen and place the trays and bowls on the table. When we had the food ready, we took our spots. Filling our plates, I stayed away from the kumquat like sea prunes and so did Kale.

Aang leaned over to Toph saying, "I'd steer clear of the sea prunes."

Toph furrowed her brows. "I thought they were ocean kumquats."

"Close enough," I muttered, shoving the kumquats to Katara and Sokka who beamed at the food with delight.

Hama stood with a big bowl in front of her. "Who wants five-flavor soup?"

Everyone raised their hand except for me. Honestly, I wasn't very hungry. Actually, I was irritated. Why was this woman suddenly being so nice to Kale and I? Earlier when I found Katara and Hama in the kitchen, Hama was more than excited to have my help in preparing the meal. She even smiled at Kale when he picked up a cup that she had accidently dropped. Something was up. Shivers were running up and down my spine.

Coming back to present, I watched without surprise as Hama used water bending to move the soup into every ones bowls. She even gave me some, but I avoided the soup no longer hungry. I'd only eaten a few fruits and vegetables from the table all night.

Katara was so excited when she saw Hama bend the soup. "You're a Waterbender! I've never met another Waterbender from our tribe."

Hama frowned, as memories flooded through her. "That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one."

Sokka finally asked the question we were waiting for. "So how did you end up out here?"

Hama sighed, telling us her story. "I was stolen from my home. It was over 60 years ago when the raids started."

She explained to us how the fire nation reached the southern water tribe and the warriors were ready to fight. While soldiers rushed into the village water benders and warriors fought to protect the tribe. They were no match for the fire nation though, and little by little the water benders were taken prisoner. As she told her story, images of mom shot through me.

"They came again and again, each time, rounding up more of our Water benders, and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last Water bender of the Southern Water Tribe. They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."

Sokka looked sympathetic toward Hama now, and I honestly couldn't help but feel bad. I knew what it was like, being locked in a cage.

"How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?"

Hama held an agonized face, but I saw behind her mask immediately. The tears that started to fall down her cheek were fake. "I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore."

Katara gently placed her hand on Hama's shoulder to comfort her. "We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid. She was killed by a fire bender."

Immediately my mind filled with images, and I winced trying to push them away.

"_Kaya! Leave her alone!"_

_A scream pierced through me._

"_Mommy! Mommy, no!"_

"_Your mother's dead! Stop crying!"_

_Bright hot fire suddenly shot through my vision._

"Amber?"

I jumped and looked at Sokka who was seated beside me. He had grabbed hold of my hand which was shaking on the table. Tears were falling down my cheeks. He understood immediately why I was so sad. He'd seen these tears before, when we were younger. He was always the one to comfort me when the memories flooded through me. Memories of my mom dying…

Smiling weakly, I wiped my eyes with my free hand saying, "Sorry… My mind just wandered somewhere else. I'm okay."

Katara went to speak in concern, but I stood before she could. "I'm going to bed. I think I'm just really tired from the long day." Looking up at Hama, I said as civilized as I could, "Thank you for the meal." Kale stood too, but I smiled at him letting him know it was okay. "I'm alright. You can finish eating." He seemed unsure, but slowly sat back down.

Eventually I left and got back to my room. Shutting the wooden door behind me, I lowered to the floor with my back still against the door. Pulling my knees close to my chest, I tried to picture something else besides my water tribe mom. If I kept picturing her, then I'd relive everything that happened that fateful day years ago. I didn't want to go through that pain. Instead I closed my eyes and pictured something else.

Why was Hama being so nice to Kale and I all of the sudden? Why did she stay in a fire nation town when she despised the fire nation so much? Was Hama kidnapping people in a search for revenge?

Hama was a curious old woman, and I had a strong feeling she was the cause of the many different disappearances happening in this town. If she was a water bender, then maybe she was freezing everyone and sliding them off somewhere.

A knock on the door sounded, and a second later Sokka said on the other side, "Hey Amber… Can I come in?" Standing, I sighed and opened the door. Sokka stood on the other side with concern. "You okay?"

Smiling weakly, I answered, "I'm fine. I just had to get out of the dining room before I embarrassed myself with tears."

Sokka suddenly hugged me tightly, as if he could feel the same pain I felt inside. "I'm sorry the memories came back. I know you were trying so hard to forget about that day."

I pressed my face into my brother's chest just enjoying his warmth. In truth, I was really glad he had come to comfort me. It felt nice.

"Is Kale worried?"

Sokka pulled away a bit and looked down at me. He was a lot taller than I remembered. "Yeah. I told him you were fine though and that he shouldn't worry."

I frowned and hung my head. "He always worries."

"He kind of has the right," Sokka said. "He lost you twice." I winced at the thought of how Kale must've felt when he saw Azula's lightening shoot through me. "I'm going to head back to the others and let them know you're okay. Why don't you get some sleep?" I nodded, thought I wasn't really tired. "If you need me I'm right down the hall." He left then, shutting the door silently behind.

That night I didn't sleep. My mind was way too restless with memories.

The next day when I finally got out of bed, though I didn't get a wink of sleep, I made my way into the hall. First I stopped by Kale's door, but he didn't answer it. Opening it to take a peak, I saw his bed was empty. Maybe he was already awake and in the dining room? Walking into the dining room, I was greeted by Hama who was already up and cooking some breakfast. There was no sign of Kale. When Hama saw me, all the kindness from the night before had vanished. She tried not to show her disgust toward me.

Immediately I questioned her. "Have you seen Kale?"

She avoided the question. "Good morning, child. Sleep well? I was concerned about you last night. You looked very upset by something."

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her. "Why are you putting on a show in front of me? I already know how you truly feel about me. You don't have to cover your feelings by acting concerned."

Hama was taken off guard by how clearly I could see through her smile plastered mask. She narrowed her eyes and said, "I'm trying to be as civilized as I can toward you fire nation swine, so don't make me regret doing so."

I scowled. "You know what Hama, I've had it. You can't look past the simple fact that Kale and I are fire nation! You're being ridiculous and irrational. We're both trying to save the world, and you're looking at us like were the fire lord himself. I didn't put you in chains or imprison you in a cell! I didn't slaughter a whole tribe! I've never killed anyone! Stop treating me like a monster!"

Hama scowled, then stepped forward hissing, "Be silent, or I'll make you suffer the same fate your boyfriend suffered."

My eyes widened in terror. "Kale…" Immediately I saw red as fury built inside me. Grabbing Hama by the shirt, I yanked her toward me and I shouted loudly, "What did you do to him you witch?"

She smirked. "I took him where all my other prisoners are. Good thing about the moon… Even when it's just about full I feel some power from it. I'm not to my fullest ability, but I'm strong enough to take at least one prisoner."

I gasped, my hands tightening on her shirt. "It is you! You are the one who's taking everyone!"

Hama's eyes suddenly went wide and tears started to fall. The strong and determined stance she was originally in quickly turned to a terrified old woman. "Please dear… I don't know what you're talking about. You're not thinking right."

I was confused at first, until suddenly I felt Sokka and Aang's hands come out of nowhere and grab both of my arms.

"Amber, stop! What's gotten into you?" Katara's voice snapped.

I struggled as both the teen boys yanked me off of Hama and pulled me away. Katara was quick to go to Hama's side, while Toph stood in the doorway unsure what to do.

"That witch took Kale!" I shouted, glaring daggers at Hama. "She took him like she took everyone else!"

Hama shook, her face contorted in pain as more fake tears fell. "She's confused… The young man she speaks of just went to town for me to fetch some supplies for the inn. He should be back soon. I don't know why she's accusing me of this."

"You liar! You just told me you're the one kidnapping everyone!" I struggled some more in my brother and Aang's hold, tears falling down my cheeks. "Give Kale back!"

"Amber, stop!" Katara snapped. Then she said to Sokka, "Take her outside and get her some fresh air before she hurts someone. She needs to cool off."

I became desperate. "You have to believe me, Katara! Hama has Kale! You have to believe me!" Sokka tried to pull me toward the door but I wouldn't budge. "You're going to believe this strange woman over me?!"

Katara, who was still hugging a fake sobbing Hama, snapped, "You've lost it Amber! Hama is a kind gentle woman. The only one being strange right now is you!"

Sokka suddenly grabbed me by my waist and threw me over his shoulder. "No! Sokka, put me down! Hama took him! She took him!"

Sokka ignored me and carried me outside and away from Hama. Aang and Toph followed Sokka as I kicked and screamed on his shoulder.

Finally, when we got outside of the inn Sokka placed me down on the ground. Sobs were escaping me and I collapsed on my knees in agony. No one believed me. They were all on Hama's side. Kale was taken by her, and no one believed me.

"No one believes me," I cried, covering my eyes as tears fell.

A gentled hand pressed on my shoulder, and I looked up through blurry eyes to see Toph. She was frowning deeply. "You're wrong… I believe you one hundred percent. Hama was lying through her teeth."

I was shocked and surprised. Toph believed me.

Sokka knelt beside me, his eyes soft as he said, "Trust me Amber… We all believe you. I mean all of us except for Katara. We just couldn't let you fry Hama in there. You're better than that." He brushed my tears away as I stared at him in shock. "We'll get Kale back."

"We need to head into town and question the villagers. See if anyone may have an idea of where the people may have been taken to," Aang said. He held his hand out for me to take, and I took it with a shaky hand. Aang pulled me to my feet, and smiled. "Don't worry Amber, we'll find him."

Aang and Sokka went back inside to tell Hama and Katara we were going to walk through the town to try and cool me off some more. Toph stayed with me, and I was surprised when she handed a rag to me. "I grabbed it on the way out. Wipe your face."

I took it with a shaky hand saying a soft thanks. Wiping my tear stained face, I felt immediately my nerves calm.

Toph crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I thought something weird was up when I heard Hama ask Kale late last night to go get some wood for her fire place. He must've been gathering the wood when she took him."

I felt another tear fall as I worried for Kale. Where was he? Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did Hama kill him? The thought made me sick to my stomach. Hama couldn't be that evil, could she?

"What I don't get, is how did Hama take Kale? Kale's trained with Katara before and knows how to dodge attacks by water benders. It doesn't make sense," Toph said, pondering over it in her head.

I frowned. "I've had a bad feeling about Hama since we got here. I think there's something she can do that she's hiding from us. She escaped that fire nation prison somehow, and I have a feeling it wasn't with water bending since there was no water in the place."

"So what… You think she has another ability?"

I crossed my arms trying to hold myself together. "I don't know…"

Sokka and Aang came out of the inn then. Aang pointed down the hill toward the town. "We'll question the villagers about the 'spirit' and see if anyone knows where she may be taking her captors."

Sokka placed a hand on my shoulder in comfort. "We're going to find him, Amber."

I nodded, but I had to hold in my tears. I really hoped Sokka was right.

Eventually we reached the town and began to walk around questioning as many villagers as we could. Most of them told us they didn't know, while others told us to scram. We asked around for most of the day, only stopping for a ten minute lunch break. We sat in the center of the town where a fountain was. The fountain had a statue of my father in the middle. As we ate, I just stared at my moon peach with agony. Was Kale hungry wherever he happened to be?

After a moment, a thought suddenly hit me. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "Maybe if I travel by spirit I can-"

Sokka didn't let me finish. "No! Last thing I want is my little sister getting lost in the spirit world again."

"I wouldn't go to the spirit world! If I step out of my body then-"

Aang spoke now, "It's a bad idea, Amber. You have no clue where Kale is either way, so you'd just be wandering around aimlessly looking for him."

I sighed. "I guess you're right."

Toph nudged me. "Stop worrying so much. Tea Bag will be fine. He's strong and smart, so I'm sure he's okay. We'll find him."

A weak smile came on my face. "Okay."

We continued our search after we ate, and finally after what felt like forever, we found something. A middle aged traveler was walking past us when Aang quickly stopped him.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you tell us anything about the spirit that's been stealing people?"

Aang was careful not to indicate the spirit was Hama. He didn't want the whole town throwing fire at the inn.

The man answered, "Only one man ever saw it and lived, and that's Old Man Ding."

I quickly stepped forward. "Where does Old Man Ding live?"

He looked at me amazed. "Why? Don't tell me you're planning on going after the spirit tonight?"

My brother gently grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. Then he said to the man, "The spirit took our friend. We won't rest until we find him."

The man looked at the four of us like we were crazy. Then he let out a hard sigh and shrugged. "Your funeral." Pointing behind us, he said, "The old geezer lives at the edge of the town, back by that inn. You'll probably see him when you get over there. He usually boards up his windows around this time."

Toph bowed a bit, saying, "Thank you so much." She then took my hand and led me away. The others followed as we walked through the town and grew closer to finding Kale.

Eventually we made to the edge of the town. It was getting to be night time by the time we got there, and we were all feeling our feet complain from walking so long. When we found Old Man Ding he was hammering some wooden boards across his windows to keep the "spirit" out.

The man, who looked about sixty, was anxious as he tried to hammer nails through the boards.

Aang was the first to speak. "Old Man Ding?"

The old man was startled by Aang's voice and missed the nail hammering his thumb. He howled in pain shouting, "Aw, dang blame it! What? Can't you see I'm busy?" He shot us all an irritated glance. Going to pick up another board, he said, "Got a full moon rising. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old." He couldn't lift the board and muttered, "Aww... well, I'm young at heart."

Aang stepped over and helped the man lift the board. Then they placed it against the window and Sokka helped hammer the nail through it.

Old Man Ding continued speaking. "Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster, yet, at least."

"Actually, about that," I began. "Do you know where the spirit takes its prisoner's?" I got quick to the point.

The man looked at me and his eyes narrowed. "Do I? The spirit almost got me. I didn't see it physically. Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain." He pointed past Hama's inn to the large mountain in the distance. "I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon, for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then, the sun started to rise. And I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!"

Toph gasped. "Oh, no! I did hear people screaming under the mountain. The missing villagers must still be there!"

"Kale," I said softly. "We have to hurry."

We quickly set off through the wooded area outside the town toward the mountain in the distance. Sokka and the others had to keep up with me because I was practically running. My heart pounded hard as I searched wildly for the cave Old Ding had been speaking of. It was dark, so it was hard to see. A few times I stumbled and Sokka had to reach out and grab me. One time I actually tripped over a root and fell.

Toph approached me as I breathed hard on the dirt. "Princess! Slow your roll! If you keep tripping like this we'll never find the cave."

I winced and felt ashamed. I was just so eager to find Kale. All I wanted was to know he was safe.

Sokka helped me up, and then asked Toph, "Do you hear them yet?"

Toph nodded. "Yeah. This way." She gestured for us to follow her and we did. We seemed to run through the forest for another five minutes. After what felt like a lifetime though, we finally found the cave. It was jutting out of the side of the mountain and seemed to go downhill. It was pitch black the farther down it went.

Toph turned to us. "This is the place."

Sokka looked downward. "I can't see anything down there."

I lit a flame in my hand having calmed down a bit. Controlling myself, I said with determination, "Let's go."

We walked into the cave, my flame lighting the way as we went. Toph was in the lead, taking us deeper and deeper downhill. It got colder the farther we went, and I worried even more about Kale. He must be so scared…

Suddenly we reached a metal doorway. There were torches on both sides of the door, so I quickly extinguished my flame. Sokka was the one to open the door, and when we did we were horrified by what we saw. Men and women were chained up inside the room, some looking like they'd been here for months. My eyes searched the room for Kale, and I quickly found him. He was chained standing up like most of the prisoners, and he looked to be unconscious.

A prisoner who was chained the same way as Kale suddenly noticed us. "We're saved!" This alerted some of the others who let out cries of relief.

Rushing into the cold stone room, I ran over to Kale whose head was hanging down and hands were bloody from being cuffed hard. He had a few scratches on his face from what I assumed to be icicles. Hama and him must've fought last night. "Kale," I cried. My hand quickly cupped his cheek, and he immediately moved at my touch. With a groan, he winced and opened his eyes in a bit of a daze. Then when his sight adjusted, it took him a moment to comprehend what was going on.

His voice sounded weak when he finally spoke. "Amber… What are-" He quickly came back to reality and his eyes widened. "No! Don't tell me you were captured too!"

Toph walked over with a key made out of her space rock. "Relax, Tea Bag. We weren't captured. We're here to save you and the villagers." She got on her tiptoes and managed to unlock Kale's cuffs. When he was free he immediately stumbled and I grabbed him to steady him. He smiled, glad I had.

When I was sure Kale was balanced again, I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and cried into his chest. "I was so worried about you! I thought you were hurt! I wasn't sure what to think!"

Kale hugged me close to him, kissing me hard on the forehead glad to see me too. "I'm okay now… It's okay…"

"Glad we found you," Sokka said from behind me. "What happened?"

Kale scowled. "Hama! That woman used something on me that made me lose all control of my body. We fought when I saw her advancing on me in the woods last night, and I almost beat her. The moon came up though, and she started using her strange power on me. It felt like she was controlling the blood in my body or something."

A woman across the cave said, "Yes… She's a witch. She has some type of spell she uses to control people."

Kale was still holding me close to him, but I looked over at the lady who had spoken. She had long black hair and her face was similar to Kaylee's, the young girl we'd met yesterday. I had a feeling this woman was Kaylee's mom.

Aang spoke up now. "We need to stop Hama!"

Toph was working on someone else's cuff now. "I'll get these people out of here, you go."

We obeyed Toph and ran back through the dark tunnel, me in the lead as I lit the way. When we finally got back outside, Kale said as we ran through the woods, "I'm glad you found us. I was worried I'd be down there forever."

Sokka glanced back as we rushed toward where we hoped to find Katara. "I'm glad Hama didn't drown you in the river."

I cringed at the thought.

After a few minutes of running through the large forest, we finally heard something. It was the sound of grunting, and I had a feeling it was coming from Katara.

Running past Aang and Sokka who were in the lead, I pointed toward the sound of what I assumed to be a fight. "This way!"

We dodged trees, roots, and bushes till finally we made it into a small clearing where Hama and Katara were going head to head. To my relief, Hama was lying in the dirt looking a bit dazed. Katara must've knocked her down. She stood as we entered the area. Katara was surprised to see us, but from Hama's backside I could tell the old woman had expected it.

Sokka was the first to speak. "We know what you've been doing, Hama!"

"Give up, you're outnumbered," Aang ordered.

Hama turned to us with a smirk. "No! You've outnumbered yourselves!" Hama reached her hands forward and suddenly Aang and Sokka went stiff. I gasped as I knew what was about to happen. How I knew, I wasn't sure. Guess you could call it instinct.

As Hama was just about to lift Aang and Sokka off of the ground and fling them toward Katara, I ran forward and shot a hard blast of fire toward Hama. She gasped when she saw the bright color filled flames headed toward her. Having no choice but to defend herself, Hama dropped Sokka and Aang back on the ground and shot a blast of water at my flames. She took the water from the earth killing the grass around her.

Steam filled around us as fire and water met. The others backed away shielding their eyes from the hot air. Kale was used to the steam though, and he was quick to run through the thick white smoke and head straight toward Hama. Hama was tackled and shoved to the ground by Kale. The old woman struggled underneath Kale's weight but seemed to have no luck.

She thrashed at him with her sharp nails. "Get off me!"

Kale continued to try and hold her down. "This is payback for the other day!"

The woman swung her hand at Kale's face scratching his cheek with her nails. He rolled off of her shocked by the pain, and she quickly got back to her feet.

"Kale!" Rushing forward I went to help him but something happened. The blood flowing inside my veins suddenly slowed and I gasped as I was pushed back. It felt like I no longer had any control on my body. My feet were planted firmly to the ground and I couldn't move my arms or head.

It was very hard to speak. Darting my eyes to Hama, I stared at her with horror. "Wha- what are you doing?"

"It's a full moon. I can blood bend as many people as I want!" Hama held her hand out toward me, and the other one out toward Sokka who she forced to wield his sword. Hama mechanically grinned. "Now I'll kill you the right way, filthy fire bender. At the hands of a water tribe warrior!"

Sokka gasped, shouting, "No! Amber! Look out!" He flew toward me, and I gasped as I couldn't move. His sword point was directed toward my heart.

"Amber!" Kale and Aang screamed at the same time. A scream escaped my own self as well as I saw my life flash once again before my eyes.

Just as Sokka was a mere five feet from me, both of us suddenly regained control and dropped to the dirt with gasps. We shook with terror at what had almost occurred. Sokka dropped his sword as if it burned him. I was quick to calm my rapid beating heart, and looking over to where Hama had been, I saw she was standing stiff with her eyes wide. The old woman slowly lowered to the ground, and I saw who the cause was.

Katara stood three yards from Hama, her hands slowly going down as she controlled the blood in Hama's body. Hama eventually was forced all the way down, and by that point we heard Toph and the villagers run up from behind us.

Two men rushed over to Hama and restrained her, one using the handcuff Hama had used on him. The one handcuffing her snapped, "You're going to be locked away forever."

They lifted her off the dirt and began to shove her away. Regaining myself, I stood and watched Hama go with narrowed eyes. She looked back at us and smiled. "My work is done. Congratulations, Katara. You're a blood bender."

My eyes widened and looked over at my sister. Katara immediately broke into sobs, dropping to her knees in utter guilt. Rushing over to her, I knelt beside her and pulled her into my arms. She pressed her face into my shoulder as she sobbed heavily. I stroked her hair and shushed her, saying softly, "It wasn't your fault… You saved us Katara… Shh…"

She continued to sob, and I hugged her even tighter.

Sokka was there a moment later, and I handed Katara over to him. He hugged her as she continued to sob, and I hung my head wishing my sister wasn't in so much pain. Soon the whole group surrounded Katara, and we were trying our best to comfort her, telling her that none of it mattered. She was the same kind, caring, and loving water bender we all cherished.

After a good ten minutes of letting Katara cry, she finally calmed down and wiped away her tears. When I saw my sister was going to be okay, I stood and so did Kale who had knelt also to comfort Katara.

He sighed heavily. "This has been a long week."

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Kale. He hugged me back and pressed his face into my hair. With a pained voice, I said, "I've never been so worried before in my life. Guess that just goes to show how much I can't imagine life without you."

Kale kissed me on the forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving your side again."

I smiled at this and shut my eyes enjoying his hold.

A long silence passed between everyone then as we took in everything that had occurred. Katara was to her feet now, and Sokka was sheathing his sword. Kale was using a piece of his shirt to wipe the blood that was still trickling from the scratches on his cheek.

Aang suddenly broke the silence. "So… now what do we do?"

Everyone shared a look, but Toph was quick to answer. "I know one thing... I'm not staying in that inn one more night. Who says we skip town and make camp far away from here?"

We all raised our hands and agreed.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. I tried not to make it follow the episode word for word by twisting some things up. Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. =)**


	10. Sleepless

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Just a warning, I'm not a big fan of this episode so this chapter won't follow the script completely. Thanks for the reviews and reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue following my story.**

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><p>We had been flying for what felt like days, but was only a few hours. It felt longer because I was exhausted and ready to take a long good nap. Honestly I hadn't slept well the last two days since we'd left Hama. I knew the battle was growing closer and closer and that scared me. I had a feeling everyone else was jumpy about it too, so I decided it was best to keep my worries and fears inside me.<p>

After we left the Fire Nation town two days ago, Katara and I hadn't really spoken much. She felt bad for not listening to me, and I kept telling her it wasn't a big deal. She told me she was going to make it up to me, and I told her she didn't have to. She felt so guilty over the whole Hama thing still, so she avoided me because she was too ashamed to look me in the eyes. It was starting to irritate me. Why couldn't she just see I'd already forgiven her?

With a hard sigh, I looked over to see Katara was chatting with Aang who was seated across from her. She met my eyes for a split second but quickly looked away hanging her head a bit. Why couldn't she see that I was over it?

It had been a long last two days. I kind of wished we could get the battle over with already.

After a few minutes Aang asked, "How much farther do you think it is?"

Kale answered, holding the map, "Probably a few more hours. Hopefully Appa can hold on that long until we get there."

An hour passed by. Sokka guided Appa with determination through the sky, while the rest of us waited to land. Kale and the others were chatting about something, but I wasn't paying much attention. Instead, I stared out at the clouds that passed by and let my hand cruise through the air.

Fear coursed through me.

I was terrified of seeing my father in a few days. Memories were flooding through my head of my old life, and how much my father hurt and despised me. How could I ever see him without breaking down? He's the reason for all my suffering. He took Zuko away, shoved mom out the door, and tried to kill me. I still hated the man so much, and though I wasn't going to be the one to take down my father, I did want to still strangle him.

My thoughts carried me away as I drifted.

_Walking through the dark halls of the palace, I kept alert as I headed toward my room. I'd just been in the palace kitchen, hanging out with my best friend Kale. We were just discussing different pranks we could try on the guards. When we both started to fall to sleep, I hugged him good night and we both went our separate ways._

_Usually walking through these halls at night was fine, but tonight I head a really bad feeling in my gut. Almost as if something was telling me to go back to Kale and just spend the night in the kitchen. Turning another corner, I tried hard not to think about the negative and more on the positive. Soon I would be in my nice bed, safe and sound, and no one would know I was wandering the palace late at night._

_I was wrong though. Just as I turned another corner, I ran smack dab into something hard and stumbled back. Falling on my butt, I winced at the sudden pain and looked up through the dark air at my roadblock._

_My father glared down at me, his gold eyes almost like fire themselves. He crossed his arms to keep from burning me right there and then. He was in his casual robe, showing he had been sleeping and was just wandering the halls like me. Now that I saw more clearly, there were guards standing behind him probably to protect him on his night walk._

_The man I feared more than anything, was infuriated by my disruption on his walk. "What are you doing out of bed?"_

_Immediately I stood and hung my head in shame. "I- I couldn't sleep. I-I was just wandering the halls."_

_My father scowled and reached down grabbing my arm hard. I whimpered at his hold. "Well, since you're up, how's about a good spar?" My eyes widened in horror. A spar! He couldn't be talking about me and him. I barely knew anything about fire bending. I was still too young to even produce a fire blast. _

_He began to drag me back the way I'd just come, and I whimpered and scratched at his hand in fear. "No daddy… Please! I don't want to!"_

_He scowled. "You should've thought of that before wandering the halls."_

"_No!" I kicked and screamed now, thrashing to try and get him to release my arm. My heart pounded hard as I pictured the spar ahead. My father would be the one throwing the flames, and I'd be running for dear life._

_My father turned sharply and slapped me square across the cheek. The sting hurt like crazy and I cried out clutching my pulsing face with tears pouring from my eyes. He snapped, "Stop thrashing you piece of filth or I'll smack you on the other cheek!"_

_He yanked me a little farther down the hall, and then we were finally outside in the large palace courtyard. My father threw me hard on the stone ground and I cried out in pain. Looking up, I saw a full moon hovering above. If I was a water bender, I'd be stronger than my father right now. Sadly I wasn't, and my dad was going to hurt me bad._

"_Get up!" A kick came to my side and I gasped as I felt my chest tighten from pain. He saw I wasn't moving to my feet, and so he grabbed my long black hair yanking me up to the point where he almost tore my roots. He sneered at me when I was up and let me go._

_I tried to stumble back, but my father wasn't having it. A wall of fire shot up behind me and I screamed jumping back forward. _

"_Alright girl. Show your daddy what you're made of." He lit a flame in his hand, and I stared at the fire with wide eyes. Tonight I would die. My father would actually kill me. My eyes darted for an exit, anywhere, but all I could do was go by my father or through the fire behind me. My father would grab me as soon as I got within reach of him._

"_No… I can't!" I cried, stepping back but gasping when I felt the heat of the fire behind me._

_My father smirked. "Well I can."_

_He suddenly yanked his robe off revealing he was shirtless and wearing some loose trousers. He tossed it to one of the guards. All of the guards were watching the scene with absolute horror. My father stepped forward then, snapping, "This is a spar! Bow in respect to your opponent!" _

_I shook my head, still searching for an escape. _

"_Fine. I'll make you!" A flame suddenly shot toward me and I screamed falling to the ground and covering my head. The hot flames flew over me, just barely missing my back. "See. Now was that so hard?"_

"_Please daddy… I can't fire bend…"_

"_Stand up!" My father ordered. With fear, I stood with shaky limbs and tears pouring down my cheeks. "Fire at me!"_

_I shook my head. _

"_I said, FIRE AT ME!" A hard blast of fire shot at me, and I dodged again screaming bloody murder. As I dodged this time the fire hit my shoulder and I screamed as flames bit into my skin. "Fire at me you worthless freak!"_

_Now I was both in pain and infuriated. Standing, I shouted, "Stop!" Lighting a flame, I shot a surprisingly hard blast of fire at my dad. He gasped and stumbled back surprised by the attack. Though the flame was very small, it did just what I needed it to do. While my father tried to compose himself, I darted past him back toward the palace._

"_Amber! Get back here!" My father roared._

_Rushing through the halls, I ran to the first person I could think off. Reaching the wooden door, I pounded hard with sobs escaping me. Footsteps pounded through the dark hall as my father headed toward the direction I had run. I continued to pound on the door, but it was no use. My savior must've been sleeping like a rock._

_A hand grabbed me and I screamed as I was yanked from the door. "Don't you dare run away from me you piece of filth!"_

"_Help!" I cried, fighting and struggling in my father's hold. He picked me up so that his arms were around my waist and I was kicking and screaming at nothing. _

_He hissed in my ear as I struggled, "Let's go finish our spar."_

_The wooden door I'd been pounding on suddenly slammed open and Iroh stood in the doorway looking infuriated. He was shorter than my father, but his enraged looks made everyone cringe. My father dropped me and I fell on the ground with a grunt. _

_My father stood his ground. "Iroh! This is none of your concern! Go back to sleep!"_

_Iroh crossed his arms. "How can I go to sleep with all this racket? Are you trying to wake up the whole palace Ozai?"_

_My father glared daggers at Iroh. "I am disciplining my child. Worry about your own!"_

_Iroh bent down and helped me. Pulling me behind him, his larger body shielded me from my father. "Why don't you take a walk and cool off before you kill somebody? I'll keep an eye on Amber."_

_My father growled. "Don't make me fight you Iroh! Give her to me!" I whimpered and shook my head in fear._

_Iroh still stood his ground. "Go kick a shrub or something. This girl isn't your punching bag."_

_My father scowled, muttered something under his breath, and then left Uncle and I alone. The hall went quiet, and all you could hear was my sniffles. _

"_Father… I heard the noise from my room. Is everything alright?" _

_Lu Ten was coming across the hallway, his hair messy from just waking up from sleep. He was twenty-one, but being half asleep made him look a few years younger._

"_Another father daughter bonding time," Iroh said, trying to keep the air light for myself. Lu Ten looked down at me with worry. _

_He knelt so that he was about the same height as me. "Are you hurt, Amber?" It was then I realized I was clutching my shoulder where father had burned me. Lu Ten must've noticed my pain. Tears were still falling down my cheeks as I nodded._

"_I'll go request some tea," Uncle said. "Why don't you mend her burn?" Uncle made his way down the hall toward the kitchen, and Lu Ten led me across the hall into his room. His room looked just like Zuko's, only there were weapons hanging on the walls and his bed was bigger. He lit a few candles with his fire bending, then walked over to his fire place and lit that as well. Light flooded through the room allowing Lu Ten to get a full view of me._

_My shirt was singed where the fire had hit it, and my hair was messy from father pulling at it. I also had scratches on my arms from where I had fallen on the stone ground outside. Lu Ten helped me up on his bed, and then walked back over to his door shutting it. He didn't want my father to come stomping through the doorway and attacking me again. _

_After Lu Ten rummaged for a moment through the large finely painted chest at the end of his bed, he pulled out a small wooden box I assumed was first aid. He sat beside me as he mended my shoulder. All he had to do was raise my loose sleeve and he saw the burn. He cringed when he saw it. _

"_I didn't mean to anger daddy… I just couldn't sleep," I said softly, more tears falling down my cheeks as Lu Ten rubbed some burn cream on my arm._

_My cousin sighed heavily. "This isn't your fault, Amber. Your father is just a heartless monster."_

_I hung my head knowing he was right._

Someone suddenly shook my shoulder bringing me out of my dream. "Amber… Wake up sleepy head." I groaned and opened my eyes weakly, but all I saw was the saddle. It was then I realized I was lying on my side and someone had draped a blanket over me. "Come on Amber. We're here," Sokka said, nudging me again with his hand.

Sitting up groggily, I saw we were no longer flying. We'd landed by the sea, and there were large cliffs surrounding us. Kale was on his feet, and he was tossing supplies down to someone already on the ground. Looking at the sun I saw it was starting to set. I'd slept for a while, but my dream was a memory.

Getting up, I asked Sokka who was rummaging through one of the bags of supplies, "How long was I out?"

"About five hours. You passed out against the side of the saddle, but we moved you so you wouldn't somehow fall over," Sokka said.

I sighed. "I wouldn't have fallen over."

"You did before. Then we couldn't find you for a whole day." Sokka finally found what he was looking for and pulled out a wooden bowl. Turning fully toward me, he asked, "What were you dreaming about though? You looked like you were in pain."

I crossed my arms and hung my head. "Just some more memories." Sokka could tell I didn't want to discuss it, so he just nodded and walked over to Appa's tail making his way down.

Running a hand through my hair, I stared back toward the sea trying to push the pain away. As I looked off into the distance I suddenly felt Kale's arms wrap around me so my back was to him and his face rested on the side of my head. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said softly. Turning fully in his hold, I pressed my face into Kale's chest and he held me closer. "Just have a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "No… I'm tired of crying over the past." My voice was broken as I spoke.

"Hey, lovebirds! You guys want to hang out on Appa all day or check out the place with us?" Sokka's voice startled me and I pulled away from Kale looking down at him. He gestured for me to come down.

"Better go before Sokka comes up here and drags us down," I said.

When Kale and I managed to slide off of Appa, we followed the others around the Black Cliffs checking out the area. Sokka was in the lead, beaming at the grass covered area he had chosen for our rendezvous point. He was holding a map and guiding us toward a sea bank where in four days the cavalry would meet us.

"This is it, the official rendezvous point for the invasion force," Sokka said.

Kale sighed. "Glad we made it in one piece."

A koala-sheep grazed beside me and I stared at it with a raised eyebrow. Yeah, the fire nation would never expect us to be in a koala-sheep herd.

Toph looked bewildered. "How did you pick this place?"

Sokka turned to the group with a smirk. "Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map. It's uninhabited, and the harbor surrounded by cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place."

"So I guess we set up camp here and wait till that day. Guess it gives us a few days to relax before the big battle," Kale said.

Aang went to go get Appa to bring the giant flying bison over to this area. While he did that we set up camp. Kale and I went to gather fire wood while the others threw their sleeping bags down and got food for supper.

Walking through the fields past what seemed like thousands of koala-sheep, kale and I picked up whatever sticks we could find. We were quiet as we walked, and the awkward silence was too much for Kale.

He looked over at me with worry. "You and Katara haven't spoken to each other much. Everything okay between the two of you?"

I nodded, picking up another stick off the ground. "She just feels bad about the whole Hama thing. She doesn't get that I forgive her already. Hopefully she'll come to her senses."

Kale sighed. "Feels like so long ago already."

"Time flies when you're about to go into battle," I said softly.

More silence passed over us as we both took in my words. We were starting to head back with our sticks when I finally broke the silence again.

"Hey, Kale?"

He looked over at me with question.

"Was my father harsh to you?"

Kale was taken off guard by my question. He stopped walking and I stopped walking too, hanging my head a bit embarrassed by what I had asked.

He looked at me with both confusion and worry. "Why do you ask?"

I turned from him, saying, "I don't know… guess I'm just curious if he treated the servants better than he treated me. It's a selfish question… I shouldn't have asked."

I started to walk off but a hand grabbed my arm to stop me. Kale had dropped his wood and rushed over to me to stop me from walking away. I refused to meet his eyes, and I held firmly to the sticks in my arms as if they were my comfort or something.

"Amber… What did you dream about earlier?"

"Nothing," I whispered, afraid if I told him I'd break down into sobs.

Kale still held firmly to my arm not letting me leave the conversation. "It was about the fire lord wasn't it? Amber, it's all in the past. In a few days we'll lock that man away forever so he can never hurt you again."

Tears threatened to spill, but I managed to keep them in. "I just don't get it… How can a man hate his own flesh and blood so much? How can he be so heartless?"

Kale stepped in front of me and grabbed my chin gently forcing me to look at him. "The Fire Lord is a heartless monster who cares about no one but himself," he said softly. "He burned Zuko and banished him from the land. He shoved your mom out the door. He tried to have you killed. He isn't your father, Amber. He may be your blood, but he isn't your father."

With a broken voice, I said, "Even when you say it like that, Ozai will always be my father."

Kale released my chin, letting out a hard sigh. "A father is more than just blood." Kale took the fire wood from my hold and dropped it on the ground. When my arms were free, Kale grabbed both of my hands and I looked up at him with question. "A father is someone who loves his children, protects them, and is always there for them. When you hear the word father do you really picture Ozai?"

His question took me off guard, but after a moment I understood. Closing my eyes, I pictured my father in my head.

"_Daddy!" I exclaimed, running through the crowd of warriors who were cheering in triumph. They'd just returned home from a three week battle against the Fire Nation. "Daddy!" I spotted him after only a few seconds of entering the crowd. _

_My father, Chief Hakoda, looked over at me from where he stood with Bato and some other soldiers. Bato glared at me, but I ignored him as much as I could. Running up to my father, he smiled widely when he saw me. "Kaya! There's my little girl!" Since I was only eight, I was still light enough for father to easily pick me up and hold me as I hugged him around the neck._

_His hug felt so nice, and so warm. "I missed you so much daddy!" _

_He kissed me on the forehead, and then lowered me to the snow. "I missed you too princess." He took my hand then saying, "Come on. Let's go find your crazy brother and sister now." I beamed and skipped alongside my father as we headed toward home telling him all he had missed while he was gone._

Tears fell down my cheeks as I hung my head. Kale was right. The Fire Lord would never be my true father. Hakoda was the man who raised me. He was the man who loved me. The man who protected me instead of hurt me.

Kale's hand took my chin gently again and he forced me to look into his brown eyes. "The Fire Lord doesn't deserve a daughter like you."

I smiled weakly, knowing he was right.

Eventually we made it back to camp. I'd managed to wipe all traces of my tears away, not wanting to let the rest of the group know I'd been crying. When we got back the others had set up everything, and Sokka walked over taking the wood from my arms. "You guys were gone for a while," he commented.

I shrugged. "Had to shove through the herds of koala-sheep. It took a while."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to where Toph had made a fire pit. He and Kale both placed the sticks inside the indent in the ground and I lit the fire allowing warm light to surround us. The sun was beginning to set and darkness started to overshadow us.

Sitting by the fire we ate the fish that Sokka managed to catch while listening to him blabber on about battle strategies and what not. After a little bit, Katara got up and walked over to some bags searching for something. I took this as my chance to confront her.

Walking over to her as she knelt on the ground picking through a bag, I said, "Hey Katara… Can we talk?"

She jumped at my voice, but looked up at me with wary eyes. She sighed and stood, leaving what she was searching for in the bag. She nodded and we both walked a bit from the group over to the lapping waters of the ocean bank.

When we finally stopped, I spoke. "Stop feeling bad, Katara. I already told you I forgive you for what happened. You don't have to keep feeling so guilty."

Katara hung her head. "I just feel terrible for what I did to you. You were trying to warn me, and I turned away from you when you needed me most. You comforted me when I cried after the whole bloodbending thing, but I didn't comfort you when you cried for Kale. I'm a horrible sister." She turned from me and stared off into the dark waters, but I saw a tear glisten on her cheek.

"You're so silly," I said. Stepping forward, I hugged Katara and she stood in surprise by my hug. I was the same height as her, even though I was a year older. "You're not a horrible sister. You're the best sister I could ever ask for. I'm not mad at you for anything."

She lowered her shoulders as she relaxed in my hold, and she hugged me back. "How is it that you're always so forgiving? First Zuko, and now me… I wish I had the strength to forgive like you."

Pulling away from her, I frowned as I stared at the sand below me. "I'm just tired of being mad… I'm just tired period. Everything that's happened this last year… I just want one day where I can forget about the war. Forget about the Fire Lord. Forget about spirits and fire. I want a day to just be Kaya again."

My sister took in what I said, but I didn't see her face for her response. Instead I reached down and picked up a seashell in my hand. Gripping it tightly, I felt the hard edges dig into my hand. The pain oddly felt good.

"Sometimes I wish you could also just be Kaya again… Then I wouldn't have to see you in so much pain," Katara finally said.

I sighed. Dropping the shell back in the sand, I stared up at the moon that was just rising in the night sky. Stars surrounded the moon and reflected on the oceans waters. "I'm not in pain…"

"You're not a good liar."

I glanced over to see her watching me with worry. I gave her a tight smile. "Don't worry about me, Katara. There are more important things to worry about."

Later that night we all started to settle down by the fire. As we did Sokka said, "See… Do I know how to pick a place or what?"

Katara responded, "Nice choice Sokka. And we're here four days ahead of schedule."

Immediately I heard a scuffle near me. It was too dark to see who it was, but when Aang frantically said, "Wait! Four days!" I figured out it was him. "The invasion's in four days!"

Sokka brushed him off saying, "Whatever. That's like... four days from now. Let's just calm down, and ..." His voice faded as he drifted to sleep.

Katara tried to reassure Aang. "Sokka's got the right idea Aang. We're here, we're ready... the best thing we can do now is get plenty of rest."

"Uh… I guess," Aang whispered.

The night went by really slowly. As everyone fell asleep beside me, I stared up at the moon above without falling asleep. Finally I gave up on sleeping and decided to spy on Zuko. Pulling my spirit out of my body, I traveled across the ocean past numerous smaller islands till I finally reached the Fire Nation capital.

Passing through the palace walls, I arrived in the hallway that I remembered to lead to Zuko's room. Walking down the hall, I inched into the room only to open my eyes in surprise. Zuko was awake, and he was holding a portrait in his hands. The portrait was a painting of mom and I, and it looked like it had been singed a bit on the edges. I wondered if maybe father or Azula had tried to burn it or something.

Stepping over to him, I plopped down beside him though I knew he couldn't see me. "So you can't sleep either," I said, pulling my knees to my chest. "Insomnia seems to be an epidemic these nights."

Zuko showed no indication whatsoever that he heard me. I sat with Zuko for a long time. I wished he could hear me. I wished he could see me. It was maybe after three hours of sitting with him that he finally put the portrait on the table beside his bed and crawled on his mattress. As he started to drift, I said softly, "I miss you Zuko… I hope after this battle things can go back to the way they were."

"Is this what you do, stare at your brother sleeping?"

I jumped and turned in surprise. Yue stood in front of me, standing in the light of the moon from Zuko's window. "Yue!" I exclaimed, rushing forward and hugging her glowing form.

She smiled and hugged me back. "Hey, Amber. It's been a while."

Yue and I left Zuko's room and passed through the walls of the palace reaching the garden I knew so well. Walking through the garden toward the duck pond, Yue stared around her with peace. "This garden is so beautiful. How can something so beautiful be owned by someone so horrible?"

I crossed my arms and stared at the water in the pond as we approached it. "It used to be even more beautiful." I pointed over to where bright Fire Lilies used to be but now a bush stood. "There used to be hundreds of Fire Lilies in this garden. Now they're gone. I think it's because they remind the Fire Lord too much of my mom."

Yue looked over at me changing the subject. "So have you decided? Are you going to fight your father?"

I sighed, crossing my arms and staring up at the sky. "He's not my father… I'll leave the Fire Lord to Aang. I have more important things to do."

"What's that?"

I smiled weakly. "I have a family to bring back together. The Fire Lord has caused suffering to more than just one child. Zuko and Azula need to know what love really is, and I intend on giving it to them. Zuko will be simple, but Azula will be tough. I think if I can get through to her though, then she'll open her eyes and see how much I care about her."

"Such a big heart," Yue said. "There's a burning hope inside you, Amber. I truly look forward to seeing you mend something that is so broken."

"It will be a challenge, but I'm willing to do it if it means getting my family back. I won't let the Fire Lord destroy my family any more than he already has."

Yue took this in. After a moment she spoke again. "By the way… Roku and I have been keeping tabs. It seems that Huo is trying to scour the whole library of Wa Shi Tong for a way to reclaim his fire."

I rolled my eyes. "That guy doesn't know when to face defeat."

She sighed. "Yeah. It will take him a thousand years before he actually finds anything close to what he's looking for."

"Well, then I have a thousand years to not worry about it," I said.

Yue nodded. "I suppose so." Her eyes then darted up to the moon. She frowned. "It would seem the avatar is having a sleepless night like yourself."

"We're both on edge... Comes with being in battle I guess."

"You'll all do fine… You've made it through so many trials on your journey. This battle will only be one more to add to your plate."

Yue disappeared then, and I stared up at the moon with a weak smile. "Yeah… you're right."

After wandering around some more I eventually returned to my body. It was sunrise when I returned, and the group was still asleep. Everyone except Aang. Getting up from my sleeping bag, I walked through the herds of koala-sheep and found Aang kicking at a shrub. He looked like he'd been up all night.

"Hey… You okay there?"

He jumped when he heard my voice, but when he saw it was me he turned back to kicking the shrub. "Just training."

I crossed my arms. "Training… Aang, you're kicking a shrub."

He continued to kick it. "Just working on my leg muscles."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Aang… Four days is a long time."

"I have to train! I have to make sure I can keep my pants on!"

His words took me off guard, but I shook them off. Walking over to him, I grabbed his shoulder to keep him from kicking again. "Aang… You need to sleep."

He turned fully to me now. "I need to sleep? You're the one that needs to sleep!"

I crossed my arms.

"I look over at your sleeping bag all the time, and whenever I do your hardly ever in it!"

I defended myself. "Did you ever think maybe I just have to pee or something?"

Aang turned and walked away. "You're such a bad liar."

It seemed I was getting that a lot this week.

Later that morning everyone was finally awake. They saw me over by the campfire starting breakfast, but immediately they wondered where Aang went. I gestured that he walked around the cliffs to go find something else to hit. As Katara, Sokka, and Toph all went to go locate Aang, Kale and I stayed behind.

"Aang's starting to freak out," Kale said, handing me a few moon peaches to cut up.

"Don't blame him. He has to fight the Fire Lord. That's not much of a picnic."

Silence passed between the two of us. Kale finally broke it. "You okay?"

"Never better." Standing, I stretched and stared off toward the sea. "How are you doing?"

Kale stood up beside me, staring at me with furrowed brows. "Fine… Not too excited about going back to the Fire Nation Capital, but I'll live."

"Yeah. We'll all be fine," I said. "I'm going to go grab the plates." Kale watched me walk away with disbelief.

Eventually the others got back. Aang seemed jumpy and on edge still as we all ate some breakfast. When he finished his food he jumped up saying, "Whelp, back to training." He rushed off and we watched him go with worry.

Toph muttered, "I think Twinkletoe is losing it."

Katara sighed. "I wish he would sleep. He won't be able to even fight the Fire Lord if he keeps up like this."

Kale glanced over at me, but I just stared down at the piece of moon peach in my hand. He said, "Yeah. It's important _everyone_ gets some sleep before the battle."

I cringed a bit, knowing he was directing that toward me.

Later that night everyone lied back down again. It had been a pretty boring day, just lounging around on the island not having much else to do.

"Good night Katara," Aangs voice suddenly said. "Good night Sokka. Good night Toph. Good night Amber. Good night Kale. Good night Appa. Good night Momo. Good night Appa and Momo."

Toph growled beside me and snapped, "Go to sleep already!"

Aang fell silent, and I sighed relaxing on my sleeping bag. As I lied and stared at the cloudy sky above, I began to drift.

_My body was shoved against the railing of the ship and I struggled hard to escape. The person whose hand was gripping my neck tightly started to push me harder against the rail. "No! Let go! Let me go!"_

"_You'll never beat me!" Ozai's voice pierced through me and I opened my eyes wide. The Fire Lord stood in front of me, his eyes burning through me as he shoved me even harder against the railing. "You think you can repair your family. You'll never be able to do that. Zuko and Azula are mine!" _

_He shoved me harder and I began to lose my footing. Shooting my eyes down, I saw the icy water of the South Pole below me. "No! Stop!" _

"_No! I'm going to let you die the way you should've nine years ago!"_

_My feet lifted from the steel of the ship and I screamed as I was thrown over the rail. The last thing I heard was the splash as I hit the frigid icy waters of death._

A gasp escaped me and I woke up with sweat beading down my forehead. Covering my mouth to keep from screaming, I tried to gather myself. It was still dark; the moon showing it was only about three or so in the morning. I needed to walk and clear my head. Getting out of my sleeping bag, I looked over and from the light of the moon saw Aang was awake too. He was nowhere to be seen.

Walking down the beach, I inched around the cliffs until I found him. He was circling some koala-sheep practicing some fighting gestures. "Um… Aang… What are you doing?"

He kept circling. "Practicing defense! I have to practice."

Walking over to Aang, I grabbed his arm. "You need to sleep. You can practice in the morning."

"But I forgot my pants and my math test!"

That took me off guard a bit. Not letting his words completely shock me, I began to lead him back to camp. "You passed your math test, and you're wearing your pants," I told him. "Nothing to worry about."

He relaxed. "Oh, okay…"

When I managed to get Aang back onto his sleeping bag where he passed out instantly, I sighed and headed down hill toward the water. Plopping down in the sand, I stared at the dark waves for the rest of the night.

In the morning when the sun finally rose I made my way back into camp. I expected the others to still be asleep, but Sokka proved me wrong. He was walking toward me, and he looked worried. "How long have you been awake?"

I smiled. "I just woke up an hour ago."

He crossed his arms. "Uh-huh. Then I suppose you were just invisible last night on your sleeping bag."

"Yep," I said, too tired to argue.

Sokka grabbed me as I tried to walk by. "You and Aang both need to sleep. We can't have you both exhausted when the day of the battle comes."

"I have been sleeping!" I snapped, yanking from him.

"Really… Because Kale say's otherwise."

"I'm going to go brush my hair," I muttered, avoiding the unwanted conversation Sokka was trying to have with me.

Sokka followed me not letting the conversation rest. "What's wrong? Are you having nightmares?"

I answered, "If I was, I wouldn't want to talk about them." Okay… I could tell I was being really grouchy. Maybe a lack of sleep was really screwing me up mood wise.

"Go lay down, Amber!"

"No!" I snapped. "I don't have to listen to you!"

Sokka grabbed my arm again. "I'm not dealing with two grouchy people today. Go to sleep!"

"Make me!" I snapped stubbornly.

Sokka was stumped. He really couldn't make me go to sleep. Instead he yanked me toward him and said, "You and Aang aren't going to be any use to us if you two don't sleep!" Then he let me go and walked back to camp annoyed.

After trying to cool off a bit, pacing back and forth on the sand, I let out a hard sigh. I needed to calm down. Sokka and Kale were just worried about me. They didn't want me to lose it like Aang was starting to. It was just so hard trying to fall asleep every night because whenever I did I always dreamed. My dreams were never good. They always brought fear and pain to me.

Eventually, after I got some sense back to my head, I made my way back to camp. When I got back I saw with bewilderment Sokka was trying to climb a cliff. "Um… What's going on?"

Aang suddenly ran in front of me grabbing my shoulders. His eyes were bloodshot. Did I look that bad too? I sure hoped I didn't. "Amber! You can't wear your bracelets to battle! I had a dream that you dropped them and when you went to retrieve them you blew up!" I stared at him confused. What?

His eyes shot to Toph who was going to sip some water. "Don't drink that!"

Toph spit out the liquid she'd already started to down. "Why, is it poisoned?"

Aang practically jumped over to her anxiously. "In my dream, we were right in the middle of the invasion, and you had to stop to use the bathroom. We died because of your tiny bladder!" He then pointed to Kale. "You need to worry more about yourself than Amber! In my dream you went out to look for her and got hit by a fireball!"

Kale looked bewildered.

Aang turned from him to Katara. "And you need to start wearing your hair up. In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and..."

Katara cut him off. "Aang, I know you're just trying to help. But you really need to get a grip. You're unraveling."

Aang took in what she said slowly, and then he hung his head in shame. "You're right. I'm losing my mind."

A shout sounded and I darted my eyes to see Sokka slide down the cliff he was trying to climb. He hit the ground with surprise. The group rolled their eyes at his actions, Kale muttering, "Wouldn't have happened if he didn't have to prove himself."

As the group began to discuss with Aang about needing rest and what not, I walked over to Sokka rubbing my arm ashamed. He was dusting himself off and when he saw me he stubbornly crossed his arms and looked away.

"I'm sorry for my attitude… I know you're just worried about me. I guess the lack of sleep is starting to get to me," I said.

Sokka looked at me surprised by my apology. He spoke after a moment. "I forgive you… I shouldn't have snapped at you like that though, so in a way I'm sorry too. It's not your fault that you can't sleep. You should know though, that the nightmares you're continuously having are because you're so scared. Nothing bad is going to happen, so you have nothing to worry about. I'm not letting anyone hurt you or Katara… I promise." He then stepped forward and hugged me, and I relaxed in his hold knowing he was right. Nothing bad would happen. The Fire lord didn't even know we were coming…

Right?

Later that day the group tried different methods to help Aang sleep. Katara took him into a cave like place where water was. She used her bending to create a mist around them. Then Katara and Aang both did some relaxing yoga moves. It didn't work, and so Aang tried to seek help from Sokka.

Sitting on a rock, I watched as Aang lied on the grass with his head pillowed by a Koala-sheep. Sokka sat on a rock beside him and wore the same beard he'd worn when he was posing as Aang's father weeks ago.

"Why don't you get right down to business and tell me what's been bothering you," Sokka said in a deeper voice to play the part of a doctor.

Aang scowled. "You know what's bothering me. I have to fight the Fire Lord in a few days."

Sokka nodded. "Mhm. Tell me more about this, 'Fire Lord.' Why are you so afraid of him?"

Aang held his hands up toward the sky annoyed. "You said it yourself. He's the baddest man on the planet. I'm supposed to defeat him and save the world."

Sokka stroked his fake beard. "Hmm. Life does feel that way some times, doesn't it? Like we're all trying to save the world from evil."

I shook my head in disbelief while Katara, Toph, and Kale looked amused.

"Okay, but what can I do to feel better?"

Sokka stood and picked up a small koala-sheep. "Want to try screaming into this pillow?"

Aang took the young animal and pressed it to his face screaming. Kale had to stifle a laugh.

An hour later we watched as Aang lied on a bunch of rocky pillars sticking out of the ground. Toph smirked as she was about to try her own method for getting Aang to sleep. "Alright, what you need is a good old fashioned back poundin' to relieve your stress."

Aang closed his eyes, saying, "Pound away…" The pillars began to go up and down rapidly causing Aang to shake violently. As he made noises from the shaking earth beneath him, he said, "Ahh! Ow! Uh! Toph! I ... think ... this ... is ... bruising ... me!" He vibrated off of the bed of pillars and landed on the ground beside them.

Toph stopped bending and crossed her arms annoyed. "Sorry, I forgot you have baby skin. Well, there's one other thing we can try..." Toph suddenly picked something up beside her that I hadn't even noticed before. "Acupuncture!" A porcupine sat in her hand baring its needles. Aang took one look at it and ran off screaming.

Katara looked over at Kale, saying, "You got anything?"

Kale nodded. "I have an idea, but it will take me a few hours to prepare. I'll need to borrow Appa to run to town really quick and buy what I need."

I went to volunteer to go with him, but Sokka cut me off. "I'll go with you." He looked over at me for a brief second. As soon as we met eyes he looked away. Instead he said to Katara, "Keep an eye on everyone while we're gone."

Katara smiled weakly. "Toph and I will handle it."

Kale and Sokka walked back toward camp to go get Appa and head to town. Once they were out of earshot, I snapped at Katara, "I don't need a babysitter."

"No… You need a nap, cranky pants," Toph said.

Annoyed, I left them to go back to the beach. Why couldn't they all just understand? Every time I tried to sleep I had nightmares. I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried.

Finding a nice spot, I plopped down on the sand and lied back staring up at the sky. It was a good thirty minutes of me being alone till someone came trailing downhill toward me. Sitting up, I looked over to see who it was.

Aang suddenly plopped down beside me crossing his arms. "This is aggravating."

I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest. "I guess we're both really nervous about the battle in two days."

"Are you having nightmares too?"

Hanging my head, I nodded. "Every time I close my eyes, I either have a memory of the Fire Lord or a dream about losing. I'm scared, Aang. What if we don't defeat the Fire Lord?"

Aang traced his hand in the sand. "I know… I keep asking the same question."

"There you two are!"Katara's voice made us both jump.

Looking behind us, we saw her coming over looking concerned. "You guys okay?"

Rolling my eyes, I turned and stared back off toward the water. "Yep."

Aang stood, saying, "Yeah… Just really tired."

"You should try and sleep then. Both of you should." She then asked Aang, "Didn't anything help today?"

Aang sighed, "I feel more relaxed, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

Standing from the sand, I turned to my sister crossing my arms. "The only thing that will help Aang sleep is getting through the battle in one piece."

She raised her eyebrow at me. "And what about you?"

"Same. All I want is to get it over with."

Katara frowned. "You guys need to stop worrying. That's your problem. You two are so afraid that it's driving you mad."

I asked, "And you're not afraid? "

"Of course I'm afraid," she began. "We're all just kids, fighting in some war that we're way too young to even be a part of. I wish more than anything we don't have to do what we're going to do. We're this world's last hope though. The Fire Lord must be stopped."

Aang spoke weakly, "I know we're the world's last hope. That's the problem, Katara. Just one slip up by me and it will all be over." Aang walked back up hill then, his shoulders hunched as the weight of the world laid on them.

Katara sighed heavily. "This has been a long week."

"Sorry… I want to sleep Katara, but I can't with all of these nightmares and memories. Don't worry though… After the battle ends in two days, I'll have no trouble sleeping." With that said I walked back to camp following behind Aang.

Katara shouted after me, "You can't stay up forever! You're going to crash eventually!"

I ignored her and kept walking.

Later that evening Sokka and Kale returned. We were all seated on the ground, Toph and Katara looking bored while I felt exhausted. Aang was off hitting a tree again.

When Appa landed, Katara stood and walked over to them. Katara looked at Kale expectantly once he slid off of Appa. "Did you get what you needed?"

He nodded. "Yep. I'll try my method at dinner."

Sokka slid down after him and carried a small cloth sack in his hand. I wondered what was inside. "I hope this works," Sokka said.

I narrowed my eyes. If Kale was planning on drugging my tea again, there was no way I would fall for it a second time. He couldn't trick me with that method.

As supper came around, Kale and Sokka prepared some soup and tea for everyone. Katara had managed to find Aang again and pull him back to camp. He looked ready to crash. He refused to fall asleep though, too scared of the nightmares that would surely come.

I knew the feeling.

Kale and Sokka eventually passed out soup and tea to everyone. When I got my tea, I placed it on the ground not daring to drink it. I had a feeling Kale's method was inside the dark liquid. Looking over at Kale, I saw he was seated across from me and sipping his tea. His eyes watched me though, and I saw they were amused.

Aang downed his tea in one gulp, and then went for his soup. I wondered how long it would take for Aang's own drugs to kick in.

Katara noticed I wasn't touching anything. "Aren't you going to drink your tea?"

I shook my head. "Nah… I'm not thirsty." Picking up the soup, I began to eat it feeling somewhat successful in avoiding Kale's method. As much as I wanted to sleep, I didn't want to be forced to sleep. If I fell asleep that would only bring on a dream.

"Just one more day," Toph said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence of the group.

Katara sighed, "I can't believe it came so fast. It feels like just yesterday we were leaving dad to go chase after Aang."

Sokka stretched. "A lot has happened."

Kale sighed. "I'm really hoping I don't run into anyone I know during this battle… I don't think I'll be able to fight old friends."

"Hopefully you won't have to," Sokka said. "With the eclipse, I'm hoping that we can get in, stop the Fire Lord, and take over the capital in no time at all."

The voices were starting to fade as I felt my eyes suddenly become heavy. Staring down at my almost empty bowl of soup, I grew confused. I felt so tired, but I hadn't drunk the tea. "Kale… Did-?" My eyes went blurry before I could finish my sentence. Someone walked over to me, but I was suddenly so tired I couldn't see who it was.

"See… Told you my method would work," Kale's voice softly said.

Aang's voice cried. "What? What did you do?"

"We drugged you and Amber's soup with a special herb," Sokka said beside me. So that's who had walked over.

"The soup…" I said softly.

Kale's voice spoke again. "I knew you wouldn't drink the tea. Sorry Amber… You just really need to sleep before the battle." His voice faded as I lost consciousness. The last thing I remember was Sokka lifting me from the ground and the almost empty bowl falling from my hand.

**Third Person POV**

The whole group sighed with relief, glad to see both Amber and Aang had finally fallen asleep. The sun was just barely on the horizon as Katara placed a small blanket over Aang who was out cold. Amber was asleep too, and a blanket had already been draped over her by Sokka.

"I thought they'd never go to sleep," Toph said, sitting by the fire relieved. "Nice work with those herbs Tea Bag."

Kale covered his face in guilt as he too sat by the fire. "She's going to fry me when she wakes up."

Sokka walked back over to Kale and plopped down beside him. "Nah… Amber will be fine. She might give the both of us an attitude when she wakes up, but I don't think she'll fry us."

"At least they're both finally getting some sleep," Katara said. "They were starting to lose it."

Toph lied back closing her eyes. "They're just scared. I can see why. Aang has to fight the Fire Lord and Amber has to return to the one place that brought her so much pain in the first place."

Sokka crossed his arms. "I hope Aang ends that monster forever. The Fire Lord needs to be destroyed before he hurts anyone else."

Katara scowled. "That man's taken so much from us. It's about time this war ends forever."

"What are we going to do with Zuko and Azula though?"

Everyone frowned at Kale's question.

Sokka crossed his arms as he answered, "I don't want to upset Amber, so this stays between all of us. When this battle ends once and for all in two days, we're locking those two Fire Nation brats away forever. I've already spoken to father about it. We agree that the best place for them is behind bars."

Toph sighed. "Princess won't be happy about that."

"She'll just have to accept it," Sokka snapped. "There's no way I'm letting her get hurt again by those two. Zuko will just stab her in the back again, and Azula will kill her."

"Unless she can get through to them like she says she will," Kale said.

Katara scowled. "There's no getting through to them. Zuko and Azula are too dangerous to have running around free."

Kale seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he decided not to and instead stared at the fire with a sigh.

**Amber POV**

The dark was so nice and peaceful. When the dark started to fade around me, I was a bit disappointed. My body felt so relaxed, and I was so care free. It was the first time all week I felt so calm. When I eventually found myself surfacing from the dark, I opened my eyes and sunlight immediately filled my vision. Wincing, I rolled over pulling my blanket over me to block out the sunlight.

Blanket? When did I go to sleep?

The last thing I remember was eating soup. After that it was a bit fuzzy.

"Hey… I think Princess is finally awake," Toph's voice said from nearby. Opening my eyes weakly, I stared at the inside of my blanket as everything came back to me.

The soup! Kale tricked me! He put drugs in my soup knowing I wouldn't fall for his tea trick!

Throwing my blanket off, I sat up and tried to adjust my eyes to the change in lighting. When I began to focus I saw it was around mid-day. The sun was in the very center of the sky, and the group was seated in a circle talking. Aang had joined them, and he looked like he'd slept well the night before. When my eyes spotted Kale, they narrowed. I had a bone to pick with him.

Getting up, I walked over to the group who looked at me with relief. They must've been happy I'd slept so long. I wasn't happy about it. I was annoyed. Stepping in front of Kale, I crossed my arms and looked down at him feeling a little irritated. Kale hung his head, showing he was guilty.

Immediately I complained, "You drugged me again!"

Kale stood now so he was taller than me, and he held his hands up in surrender. He did look very sorry. "I know you're mad, but I had no choice. You were starting to lose it Amber. I am sorry though."

At first I went to fuss at him again, but I stopped as I met his amazing brown eyes. I couldn't stay mad at Kale. Besides, it was the first time all week I actually slept without a nightmare. I shouldn't be fussing at him for helping me.

With a hard sigh, I said, "I forgive you… Just next time, get Sokka to knock me over the head with his boomerang or something. I hate being drugged."

Sokka said in response, "I think a boomerang's not strong enough to get through your thick skull."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He shut up and went back to looking at the map he had been staring at. I saw him smirk though.

Katara spoke up now. "Putting the drugging aside, how did you sleep?"

I looked over at her. "I would be mad, but that was the first sleep in a very long time where I had no dreams." Looking back at Kale, I smiled weakly. "Thanks."

He sighed, relieved to see I was no longer mad.

Leaning toward him though, I said, "But don't drug me again."

He nodded. "I won't. I promise."

"Now that Amber's not mad, can we get back to discussing battle plans," Sokka said, gesturing toward the map of the Fire Nation.

Aang snapped, "We've been discussing battle plans since I woke up. If you guys want me to not worry about tomorrow then let's do something fun."

Toph asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Aang beamed. "Race you all to the beach!" Aang jumped up and ran off toward the ocean downhill tearing off his shirt as he went. We all watched him go with bewilderment.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll get started right away on the next chapter. It's going to be the big battle scene next so I hope you guys are looking forward to it. I know it will be a lot of fun to write. I'll try and get it done as soon as I can. Thanks again for reading!**

**~Faithy Waithy**


	11. The Fight Begins

**A/N: The only thing I have to say is thank you once again for reading and reviewing. You guys are great! This is part one of the battle scene, so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>It was sunrise when I woke up. The others were still asleep as I crawled out of my sleeping bag. Walking down hill to the beach, I stopped at the water and looked out toward the horizon with a frown. Today was the day. Today would be the big battle against the Fire Nation. Today we would make history.<p>

Crossing my arms, I closed my eyes as I tried to push my worries away. We would be fine. We had the avatar with us, and no one even knew he was alive. This fight would hopefully go smoothly. I just hoped that no one would get hurt today.

I remembered exactly what Sokka had spoken the other day. He'd been so confident that we would all be fine. He had so much determination. I admired my brother for his courageous heart. He was a true born leader. _"With the avatar and the spirit of fire on our side nothing will go wrong tomorrow!"_ He had so much hope.

Lighting a flame in my hand, I stared at the fire with uncertainty. Would I be affected by the eclipse today? The question kept running constantly through my head. If I was affected by the eclipse, then I would have to rely solely on my warrior skills. I hadn't picked up a sword since I practiced with Sokka a few weeks ago.

"_Stop worrying," _Roku spoke to me. _"You will be fine. You're the spirit of fire. An eclipse will have no effect on you."_

I sighed. "I sure hope your right."

Footsteps were suddenly heard behind me and I stopped my fire. Just as I was about to turn and see who it was, a warm embrace wrapped around me and I was hugged by Kale from behind. I leaned back against him, placing my hand on his arm glad he had shown up. I really needed the comfort.

He sighed heavily. "I guess today's the big day."

I nodded, staring out toward the sea as my thoughts drifted. "It feels like just yesterday we were trying to find Aang an earth bending teacher. Now were going to save the world."

"No pressure there," Kale joked.

Turning fully toward Kale, I looked up at him with a weak smile. "It's weird… I never imagined in my wildest dreams I'd ever go to the Fire Nation Capital."

"Even after you got your memories back?"

"Yeah," I said. "Going back home wasn't exactly on my to-do list."

Kale hugged me closer to him then, and I returned his embrace not wanting to let go. "No matter what happens today, just know that I love you more than anything."

I felt elated to hear those words. Actually, my spirit felt lightened by his words. "I love you more than anything too… And I hope nothing will happen. I'm hoping everything will go smoothly."

He pulled away a little and smiled down at me. "Your hope always gives me hope."

We stood at the beach for a few more minutes, just watching the sunrise on the horizon. When the sun fully emerged from the horizon and the sky turned blue we made our way back up hill toward camp. Reaching the area we'd been staying at for four days, we found the others were awake and already getting some breakfast together. Aang was the only one missing.

Katara looked up when she saw us approach, and she handed each of us a plate of fruit. "Better eat up. We have a very long day ahead of us."

Momo jumped onto my shoulder and I pat his head with a smile. "It's hard to believe it came so fast."

Sokka ate his fruit deep in thought as he stared down at two maps, while Toph sat cross legged and placed her chin on her hand bored. Sokka was wearing his water tribe clothing again, and it was then I noticed Katara was too. Toph was back in her earth kingdom outfit as well. Toph said, "When are the others supposed to get here."

My brother placed his half eaten apple down. "Soon… I estimate in an hour or so." He then looked over at me. "How did you sleep?"

I smiled. "Good. I'm ready for today."

He nodded. "Glad to hear. It's going to be a very long day."

Momo suddenly jumped off of my shoulder and flew across the air to Aang who had just approached us. The furry flying lemur landed on his pals shoulder and Aang pat him saying, "Top of the morning, Momo!"

Katara was relieved that Aang was in a good mood. "Sounds like you slept well."

Aang did a few bending moves with his hands saying, "Like a baby mooselion. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord!"

It was hard to picture Aang fighting the Fire Lord, but I knew he was ready for this. He'd been training hard this past year to put an end to this war.

Toph spoke up. "So what's your strategy for taking him down? Going to get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action?"

Aang hung his head a bit by Toph's words. "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my 7th chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the Universe."

Toph seemed stumped by his words. "You know what I just heard? Blah blah spiritual mumbo jumbo blah blah something about Space."

Kale placed his empty plate down on the ground, and then crossed his arms saying, "So you can't go into the Avatar State at all?"

Aang shook his head. "No…" His eyes filled with determination. "But that's not going to stop me from taking the Fire Lord down!"

I spoke up then, saying, "You know… No one's really told me what my part is in this battle?"

Sokka answered. "That's simple. You're going to be disguised among us water tribe warriors. When the battle begins you start firing at anyone you can. You're our secret weapon."

"I should feel honored," I muttered.

Kale placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me. "I'll be by your side."

"Actually, Kale… You're going with Aang," Katara said. Both Kale and I looked at her in surprise. "Aang needs to be quick through the palace, and you're the only one that knows which way the Fire Lord's throne room is."

Sokka looked sorry. "I forgot to tell you that."

"No way!" I said. "Kale can't go there! What if-"

Kale cut me off though, turning me so I was forced to look up at him. "Their right Amber… I'll be fine. When Aang starts battling the Fire Lord I'll get out of the way." I frowned as I realized what this meant. Kale and I would be separated during the battle. He smiled weakly at me. "I promise I'll be fine. I know the palace inside and out."

Aang added in, "And I'll be with him, Amber. I promise I won't let anything happen to him. You have an avatar's word."

Looking at Aang, I saw him give me a reassuring smile. Sighing heavily, I nodded and looked back at Kale. "Just be very careful."

He kissed me on the forehead. "I will."

A few minutes passed, and we all finished eating our breakfast. Sokka was looking at the maps again. Katara stood and walked up hill a bit to the edge of a cliff. Staring out at the ocean, she looked a bit anxious. Standing, I walked over to her crossing my arms.

"Nervous?"

She jumped at my voice, but then she smiled. "Yeah… But I'm also ready." Looking back toward the sea, she continued, "I was just wondering what mom would think if she saw what we were doing today."

I nodded. "She'd be proud of all of us."

"Or think we're crazy," Sokka said, and we both looked over to see our older brother approach us. He threw an arm around each of our shoulders getting in between us. Hugging us to him, he said, "No matter what happens today, as long as we stick together as a family we'll be stronger than any Fire Lord out there."

"We've stuck together pretty well so far," Katara commented.

"We've all grown stronger too. We're not the same water tribe kids we used to be," I said.

Sokka let us go, lifting a piece of my hair. "I'll say. You got some weird highlights now."

I smacked his hand away causing him to drop my fire red highlights. "They're not weird. It's not my fault being the Spirit of Fire gives me a new hairstyle."

"I like them," Katara said. "They make you even more special."

"We should give you a special name for today," Sokka joked. "Since you're our secret weapon and all."

I raised my eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

He smirked. "How's about 'Fire Queen' or 'The Great Flame'?"

I cringed and Katara rolled her eyes. Katara said, "We'll just stick with Amber. You can give her a nickname after the battle."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Always a party pooper. Fine."

I went to say something else but was stopped. Katara gasped, and we looked at her with worry. She pointed out toward the ocean. Rolling above the water was a mass of white fog. "Oh no. Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?"

Sokka stepped closer to the cliff we stood on, and he scrunched his eyes trying to see out in the distance. His eyes widened and he beamed. "No… That is the invasion!"

Katara and I looked harder at what he was seeing. Kale and the others joined us after hearing Sokka's shout.

Aang spoke up when they all reached the cliff as well. "What's going on?"

"Look! The invasion is here!" Sokka pointed out toward the fog with excitement.

Scrunching my own eyes, I tried to look out in the distance. I could finally see what Sokka was seeing. Emerging from the large fog in the distance was five large water tribe vessels. They were headed a straight path toward the coast of the island.

"Wow… Dad was able to get a lot of people," I said.

Katara nodded. "Dad's a good leader."

We all decided to start making our way down to the coast so that when the ships arrived we could greet everyone. Loading all of our supplies back on Appa, we flew on Appa down to the coast. When we arrived Aang and Toph made two stone platforms for the ships to dock in the coast, and we watched as the ships slowly came toward land.

Kale looked at Sokka with question. "Who exactly did you tell your dad to round up again?"

Sokka smiled. "Just some old friends."

After about twenty minutes of waiting for the ships, they finally docked on the coast. As the ships came to a complete stop, I was surprised at how massive they were for water tribe vessels. Dad and the warriors he was with must've been very determined to win this battle today.

The first person to come off one of the ships after it docked was dad. He wore fine water tribe warrior armor, and I saw his blue eyes look at all of us with relief.

Katara and Sokka were the first to run forward, Sokka shouting, "Dad!" I rushed after them and joined them as they gave a group hug to our father. Dad managed to hug all three of us at the same time. We all beamed as we were embraced by our father once more.

"You made it dad!" Katara exclaimed.

Dad pulled away from us, and I saw he was as equally elated to see us.

Sokka immediately asked, "Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?"

Dad cringed. He scratched his head a bit with uncertainty. "I did. But I'm a little worried, Sokka. Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type." Just as he spoke this two men walked down the same ship ramp our dad had just come down.

The men were barely dressed, just a leaf skirt covering themselves. I groaned immediately when I saw the skinny man and the short chubby man. It was those annoying men from the swamp. The very same ones that wanted to eat Appa and Momo.

Katara nudged me in the side, obviously telling me to be nice. I crossed my arms and bit my tongue to keep from speaking my opinion.

"Whooo-wheee. This place ain't nothing like a swamp," the skinny swamp man said. He then stopped and pointed at a rock jutting from the water. "What'd you reckon that is, Tho? Some sort of exploding Fire Nation exploding trap that would eat ya?"

Tho looked at the rock with a bit more common sense than his pal. "It's just a rock, Due."

The skinny man Due looked even more impressed. "Well I'll be!"

Dad looked at me asking, "Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf head?"

"They tried to eat Appa and Momo… It's not just you," I promised, agitated that Sokka had invited these men.

Bato, who was also in water tribe warrior armor, walked by me carrying some supplies. "I just wish they would wear pants."

Hue, the leader of the swamp gang, heard Bato's comment as he got on deck and scratched his bare belly. "Pants are an illusion and so is death."

We all looked at him very confused by what he had just spoken. Death definitely was no illusion… I'd witnessed it numerous times.

"I don't have time for these people," I said, turning and starting to walk back to the coast. I bumped into someone as I turned though and stumbled back. "Oh… Sorry," I said. Looking up, my eyes shot wide with surprise. "Kuro!"

Kale's older brother stood in front of me, his brown eyes staring at me with relief. He smiled down at me. "So you are alive after all. That's good to know." His buddy Coal stood behind him. They were dressed in Water Tribe warrior armor too. "I had trouble believing you came back from the dead again, but I guess I shouldn't doubt you. You always seem to come back from the dead."

I smiled. "Someone's got to keep an eye on your brother."

He laughed.

"Kuro! What are you doing here?" Kale suddenly approached as surprised as I happened to be.

Sokka came over then, clamping a hand on Kale's shoulder. "You said your brother was a good candidate for the battle. I managed to pull a few strings and contact him."

Kale looked confused as he asked Kuro, "I thought you were arrested by the Fire Nation and being held in the Ba Sing Sei prison?"

Kuro smirked. "Looks like your friend Sokka has some strong allies. The Water Tribe warriors managed to break into the city and help us escape. We decided, what better way to repay them than joining in on this venture of yours."

Coal crossed his arms with a determined glint in his eye. "It's time we take this world to a new era. I'm tired of watching people suffer at the hands of the fire nation."

Sokka spoke up now. "Glad to have you both. We'll need all the help we can get." Kuro nodded, shaking my brother's hand letting him know they were happy to help.

Coal looked back at me then, and I saw him smirk. "By the way… The fire red highlights suit you."

I blushed a bit at his compliment. "Thanks."

Kale went off to talk to his brother and Coal, while Sokka returned to greeting other water tribe warriors that came on the stone dock from the four ships. Katara, Aang, and Toph were all greeting the other men as well. With a sigh, I crossed my arms a bit uncertain about all of this. How was such a small invasion force going to penetrate the Fire Nation Capital? Maybe we should've thought this over a bit more…

"Kaya?"

I jumped at the sudden voice that broke my thoughts. Turning, I looked at the owner with surprise. It was Haru, only he wasn't the same kid I remembered him to be so many months ago. He was taller, more muscular, and he actually had facial hair now. His voice was even deeper than I remembered.

He beamed when he saw it was me. Rushing forward, he grabbed me in a hug and I was surprised. We'd only really known each other for maybe three days, and half of that time I was being tortured by a crazy warden. Though the hug was odd, I decided to let him know it was good to see him too.

"Haru… Hey," I said, hugging him back. The way he hugged me was almost relief. Did everyone think I was dead?

It hit me then. _Everyone_ had thought I was dead… Even Haru.

Haru pulled away smiling down at me with relief. He was taller than I remembered. Much taller. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

I blushed again. "Yeah. It seems I'm getting that a lot today… and my name's Amber by the way."

He smiled. "I know. I just know you as Kaya. Guess I'll need some time to get used to it." His hand suddenly grabbed one of my strands of hair and I saw his eyes meet mine. "Nice highlights. They look good on you." When he grabbed my hair his hand brushed against my cheek. I backed up a bit surprised by his touch.

"Haru!" Katara suddenly rushed past me and hugged him. Haru was taken off guard by the gesture, but hugged her back. "It's so good to see you."

"You too Katara," Haru said. His eyes met my own and I quickly looked away. Did he like me or something? Why did he keep looking at me?

Aang and Toph suddenly approached, adding more people to the group. I almost sighed in relief. Last thing I wanted was Haru trying to ask me out. I was already content with Kale.

Aang made the introductions. "Toph, this is Haru. When we met him, his town was controlled by the Fire Nation. So we had to hide his earth bending."

Haru glanced over at me again, but I looked away once more trying to give him the hint I wasn't interested. "Amber and Katara inspired me and my Father to take back our village."

Another familiar voice spoke. "You girls helped us find our courage. Now we're here to help you." Tyro, Haru's dad, approached us with a smile.

"Well, we're really glad to have you," Aang exclaimed.

Toph suddenly went stiff beside me, and I looked at her with question. Her fists tightened and her blind eyes went wide. "No way!" She twisted and got into a defensive stance. "Is that..." I looked up in enough time to see two very large familiar earth benders approach us. The big tall heavier one grabbed Toph and held her up so her face was level with his

"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!"

It was Hippo and the Boulder from Toph's old battle grounds back during her fighting days. The Boulder was the one who liked to talk in third person. There was no way I was sticking around with that annoying dude again. "I'm going to go see how Appa's doing," I told Aang, and then made my way back down the dock.

Getting back on land, I found Appa easily since he was so big. Walking over to him, I pat him on the side of his face and he groaned glad to see me. "Ready for today?" I asked him. He didn't answer, and I hadn't expected him too. "Yeah… I'm nervous too."

"Do you always talk to animals?"

I cringed and felt my body stiffen as I heard Haru's voice again. Was he following me? Of course he was following me… It was obvious the guy liked me. It would've been nice to have my jealous boyfriend with me at the moment. He was too busy talking to Kuro though.

Turning, I put on a weak smile as I faced Haru. He had his arms crossed and his eyes were staring at me with laughter. I answered him, "Only when I need someone to talk to."

He stepped toward me then, and I backed up a step not wanting him to get any ideas. Trying to stand my ground, I said, "Look, Haru… I-"

"You're different than I last remember you," Haru said cutting me off. He walked toward me and I tried to step back again. My back hit Appa though, and I stepped back forward. Haru still came toward me with a crooked grin. "You're stronger, older, and much more beautiful. Guess you've changed a lot over the year."

"A lot's happened," I said, looking around searching for Kale, but he was nowhere to be seen. Looked like I had to tell Haru I had a boyfriend before he got any ideas. "Haru, I have-" I decided it was best to just try and get to Kale. "I have to go check on something."

I tried to walk by him, but he grabbed my arm stopping me. Looking at him amazed by his action, I saw he looked hurt. "Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head, feeling bad now. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. "No… It's not you. I just-"

He leaned forward so his face was suddenly inches from my own. He looked amazed. "Your scars are gone. How?" His hand went to touch my cheek but I tried to pull away.

"Stop, Haru," I pleaded, trying to get his hand off of my arm. He was surprised by my reaction.

"Amber! There you are," Kale's voice suddenly exclaimed.

Haru immediately let me go when he heard Kale, and I saw Kale pace over to me trying his best not to show he was being over-protective.

Haru looked at me in bewilderment.

I smiled weakly. "I tried to tell you. I have a boyfriend."

Kale placed his arm around my waist protectively, his eyes staring hard at Haru. Kale pulled me close to him, his voice leveled as he asked, "Who are you?"

Haru looked disappointed. However after a moment he stood his ground and crossed his arms. "My name's Haru. Amber and I know each other from a few months back."

Kale narrowed his eyes at Haru. Haru was staring at me again, and I saw he wasn't satisfied with Kale being my boyfriend. "Well I'm Kale… Amber's boyfriend." Kale stated what I'd just stated a moment ago.

Haru smirked. "Kale… You're named after a vegetable?"

Kale scowled. I pressed my hand on his chest to keep him from lunging at Haru, since I had a feeling that's exactly what he was going to do. His fist was tightened, but he backed up a bit cooling off.

"Come on Amber. Teo wants to say hi to you," Kale said. He pulled me away from Haru, who watched the two of us go with narrowed eyes.

When we got away from him, I sighed with relief. "Thanks for saving me back there," I said, hanging my head a bit embarrassed by the situation I had just been in.

Kale sighed. "First Jet, and now this guy… Not sure I want to leave you during the battle now. Haru might sweep you off of your feet… literally."

I stopped walking, and so did Kale. He looked at me with question. Cupping my hand on his cheek, I promised, "You're the only guy for me."

He smiled, reassured by my words.

Eventually we approached the others, and I greeted Teo and his inventor father with a smile. Teo rolled his chair over to me when I approached, and Aang beamed holding a new staff in his hand. "Look Amber! Teo's dad made me a new glider!"

"That's great Aang," I said.

Teo beamed at me saying, "So you really are back from the dead! Dad and I were greatly saddened when we heard you were shot by the Fire Nation. Glad to see you still up and about."

"Thanks."

The next thirty minutes we spent gathering all of the warriors, earth benders, and water benders together. Haru was giving me cold shoulder, and I assumed it was because he was upset I had a boyfriend. Kale stuck by my side the rest of the time on the island, not wanting any of the other males to get any ideas. Katara noticed Kale's overprotectiveness and joked to me, "I'm so jealous of your boyfriend right now." I blushed by her comment.

Eventually the great battle speech was about to happen. Sokka was the one who was going to give the speech. As everyone gathered around a stone platform that Toph had made, Katara and I busily passed out food to all of the men gathered. It was then I realized Toph, Katara, and myself were the only females in the whole group.

When I reached Haru with some bread, he took it from my hand and looked up at me with guilt. "Sorry for earlier," he said. "Kale's really lucky to have you."

His apology took me a bit off guard. "No, I'm sorry. I should've told you outright that I was taken. You'll find the right girl for you one day," I promised. He nodded and took the bread with a thankful smile.

When we finished passing out the bread, Katara and I got back to where Aang, Toph, Sokka, and dad sat. Sokka was busily picking up some maps that he was going to show the invasion force. While he stood and headed toward the platform, Kale asked, "What did Haru want?"

"He apologized," I said, smiling at Kale. He nodded, glad to hear.

Sokka eventually reached the platform, and from the distance I could see how nervous he was. Sokka anxiously said, "Good morning everyone!"

He tripped when he got onto the platform and fell dropping all of his maps. He quickly scurried to pick them up embarrassed. We watched with disbelief. Poor Sokka.

He stood once more and looked at the group with panic. "Uhm... So, as you know today we're invading the Fire Nation. I mean I know you know that." Sokka laughed nervously. "Because otherwise why else would you be here? Anyway..." He dropped his maps again and I covered my face in disbelief. Immediately he picked up the maps and placed them on a rock made board on the platform. "The Fire Lord's palace is here." He pointed at a map, but his eyes widened. "Uh no, uh wait," he flipped to another map. "Uh wait." He flipped two more times till he got to the right map. "It's here…" Sokka finally found the right map, but by this point he was beyond flustered. "and uh there's an eclipse today and Aang's going to fight the Fire Lord and the fire benders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us and uhm... I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning."

I went to stand, but my father stopped me. "I'll handle this," my dad said.

Sokka spoke again. "Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg. Now I didn't like Aang at first but I grew to love him over time. Then we went over to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who is a Kyoshi warrior. She made me dress like a woman and then she kissed me…"

Katara sighed. "Wow, when he says beginning, he means beginning, beginning."

Dad stood and made his way over to Sokka who continued talking. "And we found Amber and got her back, and then Aang's friend was a crazy old man and then Katara got Haru arrested and then now he's grown a mustache and if you look in the front row you can see him..."

Dad stood beside Sokka placing his hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sokka. It's okay, why don't you take a break?"

Sokka looked greatly disappointed and walked off the platform back toward us. When he plopped down beside me with a heavy sigh, I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You'll have your speech one day. Today just wasn't it," I reassured. Sokka pouted, not really reassured. I took my hand off of him with a frown not liking to see my brother so down.

"Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun," Father started, his eyes scanning the crowd who were listening to him intently. "and I want to thank you all for your self sacrifice and your courage. There are two steps to the invasion. A naval stage and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get past our first major obstacle here." Father pointed at a place on the map where a mass of water was painted. "The Great Gates of Azulon. Next," he flipped to the next map. "we hit the land and we hit hard!" He flung his fist onto the map smashing into where the land was. "We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower." Dad pointed to a tower on the map. "Once we do that," he moved his finger along the map as he continued to speak. "it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."

The Boulder suddenly raised his hand and I internally groaned. What did this meathead possibly have to say?

"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse? When the fire benders are powerless?"

My father stood his ground and met the confused man's eyes. "The eclipse only lasts 8 minutes. Not enough time for the whole invasion and the royal palace is heavily guarded by fire benders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar would have defeated the Fire Lord. We would have control of the Fire Nation capital," dad then looked at the rest of the men holding his fist up in the air. "And this war will be over!"

The crowd cheered by father's speech. Sokka got up and sulked off disappointed in himself. I went to follow, but Bato came over stepping in my path. "Come with me, Amber. We have your armor ready for you." I went to tell him that I would after I spoke to Sokka, but Aang told me he would go check on my dismayed brother. I smiled at him with gratitude.

Going on one of the ships, I managed to change into the armor that was given to me. The armor was a water tribe blue, and it was made out of hard leather. I wore it easily over my fire nation outfit, and when I emerged from the ship and got back on the dock I saw Katara give me a thumbs up.

Katara's brows furrowed though. "What are you using for your weapon?"

I went to shrug, but my father spoke up before I could. "We won't need you to use your fire until we start taking out the battlements on land. I don't want the fire nation to know about you until it's absolutely necessary." He then handed a sword in a sheath to me. "Until then, you can use this sword. Sokka tells me you're very handy with one."

Taking the sheath, I pulled out the sword and saw a fine steel blade. The hilt of the sword was dark blue and the weapon was light in my hold. Sheathing the sword, I smiled at my dad. "Thanks."

Eventually we all piled onto the ships ready to head toward the place I was dreading returning to. Aang and Sokka were the last to arrive, and I saw Aang had shaved off his hair revealing his tattoo once more on his forehead. Sokka seemed to be in better spirits as well, and I was relieved to see him smile at me.

"No turning back now," Sokka said as the ships started to depart land.

Kale approached and crossed his arms with a smirk. "We've got this… Your invasion plan is too perfect."

Sokka looked grateful by Kale's words.

The five ships continued on toward the horizon. Appa was on one of the other ships, and Katara stood with him chatting with some water benders.

Toph, Kale, Sokka, and Aang were with me, and we stayed close together as we headed closer and closer to the Fire Nation capital. We were only traveling for an hour when suddenly Bato shouted from the ship Katara was on, "There they are. The Great Gates of Azulon!"

We all looked to where Bato was seeing these gates, but all I saw were giant statues in the distance. "I don't see any gates," I heard Katara say from the other ship.

"Katara! You and the swamp benders whip up a fog!" Dad ordered.

Katara nodded, and her and the other water benders created a thick fog over us as we headed toward the statues of my great-grandfather Azulon. We pressed on for another ten minutes until we just reached the giant statues in the middle of the ocean.

My dad beamed with excitement. "Keep it up! We're almost through!"

Suddenly a very long net started to rise from the water and a loud siren sounded. My eyes widened as the large net began to block our exit. My father shouted loudly for all ships to hear, "Drop Anchor!"

The ships all jerked to a stop a moment later, and we stumbled on deck when the ship was no longer moving. Then the nets caught fire, and my eyes widened in horror as a large wall of flames erupted in front of us. Jet skis could be heard in the distance as Fire Nation soldiers started to head toward the intruders.

Dad took charge again, shouting, "Everyone below deck!"

Kale grabbed my hand and we rushed down below deck to where a large room was. In the room was a giant metal object that almost seemed to resemble of a fish of some kind. Kale helped me up the steps that led to the porthole of the thing which Sokka called a submarine. When we climbed the ladder down and got inside, I saw Teo and his dad were already there. Teo's dad sat on a chair where a large glass window stood. He was going to steer us I guessed.

Eventually everyone from the ship got in the large submarine and the water benders got the giant underwater gadget to move. We managed to get the sub out of the ship by opening the ships bottom. Once we were down below the water, the water benders got us moving toward our destination. Looking out a window, I saw Katara was riding on Appa's head keeping an air bubble around his head so he could breathe.

"It worked!" Sokka said triumphantly.

Beaming, I hugged Sokka saying, "Your inventions brilliant!"

Sokka beamed at my praise. Dad came over and clamped a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "You've really outdone yourself this time, son."

A groan sounded, and we looked over to see Toph seated against the subs wall with The Duke beside her. She muttered, "Yeah. Congratulations, Sokka. You managed to invent a worst way of travel than flying."

The Duke took his helmet off handing it to Toph. "Helmet?"

She grabbed it and puked. We all cringed and decided to leave Toph to her seasickness.

Sokka rubbed his neck red-faced. "Well, I just came up with the idea but The Mechanist did all the work."

Teo's dad quickly said, "But don't sell yourself short, my boy. It was your idea to use water bending to make the subs sink and float. Brilliant, though your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher." He pulled out a piece of paper with a confusing drawing on it. I had to keep from laughing at my brother's artistic skills. "Unfortunately, there is one problem I couldn't fix. The subs have a limited air supply. Before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."

A heavy sigh escaped me, and I walked over to the wall of the sub. Plopping down against it, I fiddled with my bracelets which I still kept on with my armor. My body trembled a bit as I pictured the battle ahead. I was scared. I was beyond scared. What if we didn't win? Then what would happen to us?

"Amber? You alright?"

My dad's voice made me jump. Looking up, I saw my dad had walked over to me with worry.

Nodding, I pulled my knees close to my chest. "Just worried about everyone. I don't want anyone getting hurt today."

He sat beside me then, and I felt him wrap an arm around my shoulder pulling me to him to comfort me. "It will be fine. We've made it this far. We're almost to victory."

I hung my head, pressing it against my knees. My dad sighed, "That's not all that's bothering you."

Raising my head again, I said softly, "Last time I was at the Fire Nation Capital, I was tortured by the Fire Lord and condemned to die. I'm so scared… What if I get captured… What if they take me to the Fire Lord…" Tears started to fall down my cheeks. "He'll kill me on the spot."

My father hugged me to him, and I shut my eyes tightly. "None of us will let that happen today. I promise."

His promise did somewhat ease my worries.

Eventually, after an hour of drifting toward the Fire Nation Capital, the subs emerged from the waters so we could refill air. The air was getting quite thick the longer we stayed under. When we were fully emerged, we all went up through the porthole out into the bright sunlight. Everyone seemed to have come out of the sub for some fresh air. As warriors, earth benders, and water benders chatted amongst each other, the gang gathered together.

Kale, Toph, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and I stood together on the top of the sub as we prepared to head straight into battle.

Aang looked nervous as he said, "So, this is it huh?"

Sokka clamped a brotherly hand on Aang's shoulder. "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?"

Aang said determined. "I'm ready."

The group hugged then, Katara and Aang dragging Kale and I into the large embrace. We hugged each other as if this would be the last day we'd see each other. "No matter what happens today, we're a family," I said.

Toph smiled. "Got that right Princess."

"Everyone listen up!" We all pulled apart when we heard dad shout. Looking over we saw him staring at everyone with determination. "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs."

As everyone started to head back into the subs and prepare for battle, Kale pulled me to him. Grabbing my shoulders, he leaned down a bit and said, "Be careful today."

I smiled up at him. "You too."

He leaned down and kissed me then, and I melted against him. Kissing him back, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. His hands trailed to my hair and I felt tears fill in my eyes once more. I didn't want to be separated from Kale. I didn't want him to go.

"Hey! Lovebirds! Come on!" Sokka shouted.

We pulled apart, both of us out of breath. Kale backed away from me, his eyes sad as he walked over to Aang who was beside a blushing Katara.

Aang looked over at him asking, "Ready?"

Kale nodded. Aang popped open his glider and said, "Grab onto the wings and hold on tight. It's going to be a bumpy flight."

"You're sure you can fly the two of us?" Kale asked.

Aang nodded. "I'm an air bender. Flying is a piece of cake."

"Take care of each other," Katara said.

Aang looked back at her with a smile. "We will."

Kale grabbed onto the wing on Aang's glider then, and Aang shot them up in the sky with a big gust of air. As the two flew off across the water I watched them go with agony. "I love you, Kale."

Katara walked over to me, and she placed a hand on my shoulder. "He'll be fine."

"Katara, Amber! What are you doing? It's time to submerge!"

We jumped and looked over to see Sokka sticking his head out of the porthole impatient. Katara returned to Appa then and I returned inside the sub. The water benders set the subs in motion once more, and I got my sword ready for battle. Sokka was preparing for battle too, putting his helmet on. Toph left the room we were in to go below and get in the giant machine that would be used on land. I hadn't seen it yet, but I assumed it was cool from the way Teo described it to me.

Sokka walked over then, and I saw him holding my helmet in his hand. Tying my hair up in a ponytail, I went to take the helmet of the wolf from Sokka but he pulled it away. I shot him a look of question. He said softly, "Don't feel like you have to do everything today, Amber. You always try to save everyone, but I want you to worry more about yourself."

I smiled weakly. "I'll keep that in mind."

He placed my helmet on for me then, and I watched as he walked back over to dad and Bato with determination.

Dad took charge once more. "Everyone in positions! This is going to be a rough ride!"

The subs started to shake violently as harpoons were shot at the vessels underwater. We all stumbled and tried to keep our balance as the attack on out fleet began. Glancing out a window, I watched with concern as Katara and Appa maneuvered by the harpoons with determination.

My father shouted in the background. "Ready the Torpedo!" As they shot the torpedo toward the wall to break through the barrier ahead, I continued to watch the scene out the window with concern.

"Amber! Come on!" Sokka grabbed me to pull me into position. We got down the steps and lined up with all the other earth benders and water tribe warriors. I stuck beside Sokka, the only girl in the whole group of men. You could easily tell under my armor I was a girl.

Sokka sighed beside me, and I could see he had drawn his sword ready for battle. "Be careful," I told him.

He nodded. "You too."

The subs came to a stop then, and we all unsheathed our weapons. My sword felt somewhat heavier than I remembered. Probably because I was terrified. As the ramp of the sub began to lower, I heard all the men around me let out a loud battle cry. Then the men were moving, and I had no choice but to run with them to keep from being trampled by the men behind.

As soon as we stepped on the land of the Fire Nation Capital, I winced as sunlight hit me. Adjusting my eyes I saw what lied in front of us. Where the actual palace stood seemed a good mile from where we actually stood. In front of us were large tanks coming toward us. The battlements around us were firing fire blasts at us like crazy.

The machines Sokka thought up ran alongside us as we raced forward toward the enemies ahead. The machines looked like giant stone centipedes. The Earth Benders inside were shooting rocks at the battlements as we rushed toward the entrance to the walkway that would lead us to the city. The entrance was actually a giant tower with a gate below.

As the tanks got closer, it was then I also saw the rough rhinos come out. It felt like years since I'd seen such a beast, and now there were twenty or more in front of us. The warrior's around me ran harder, their weapons held up ready to attack. They also all had shields! It was then I realized I didn't have a shield. Great…

"Earth Benders! Take out the tanks! Warriors, let's get those rough rhinos!" Sokka shouted.

We did just that. Rushing toward the tanks, the earth benders shot rocks at the black machines shooting fire at us. While they distracted the tanks, we ran past the tanks toward the rough rhinos. That's when it started. My battle began.

A fire nation soldier shot fire toward me and I dodged rushing up to the rhino he sat on. Jumping onto the rhino's horn I dodged another blast. With my sword, I shouted and charged at the man. His eyes widened and he lunged his spear toward me. Swinging my sword, I managed to slice the spear in half causing him to lose his weapon. He gasped and tried to fire another blast of fire at me. Grabbing his hand, I cut his flame off.

His eyes widened. "You… You traitor!"

"I haven't betrayed anyone," I hissed. Quickly I kicked the man on the side of the head and knocked him off of the rhino. He landed on the ground unconscious. Jumping from the rhino, I managed to land on another and fight another soldier knocking him off as well. It seemed I repeated this for a good five minutes.

An explosion occurred right beside me suddenly. A gasp escaped me as the rhino I was on took off running quite abruptly. The soldier I was fighting tried to reach for the reins, but while he was distracted I kicked him off. He landed hard on the ground and blacked out. The rough rhino came to a hard stop suddenly, and I gasped as I was thrown off the beast and flung forward. Crashing onto the ground, I winced as my body stung hard from the fall.

A battle cry rang, and I turned over with my sword. Just as a spear lunged down at me, I used my sword blocking the attack sending sparks. The Fire Nation soldier growled and went to jab at me again with his spear once more. Quickly I threw up my sword again to try and block. The force of the spear smashing into my sword caused me to lose grip on my blade. It fell from my hand and skidded a few feet beside me.

"Not so tough now," the soldier hissed. He went to lunge his spear into my heart.

Something smashed into him, and the soldier was shoved hard on the ground. Coal grabbed the soldiers head and smashed it on the ground knocking him out.

"Amber!"

Hands quickly helped me up and I breathed heavily as my heart raced with terror. Looking up, I saw Kuro standing in front of me relieved he had gotten to me in time.

Kuro grabbed both of my shoulders shaking me out of my shock. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah… Thanks… What are you…"

"I promised Kale I'd keep you safe," Kuro said.

Coal approached then, his eyes staying on guard as he said, "Glad we got here when we did. You would've died a third time."

"I was stupid… I should've jumped off the rhino when I could," I said, trying to catch my breath.

Kuro picked up my sword and handed it back to me. "All the matters is you're safe." He took off running back into the battle, and Coal followed him with determination.

Another explosion sounded then, and I gasped watching as the explosion sent many warriors scattering.

A giant rough rhino suddenly stepped in my path, and I looked to see who was on it ready to fight. Sokka and my dad were on its back, both relieved to see me. Sokka said, "Amber! There you are! It's time!"

"Time?"

Dad answered my confusion. "We need you to help us take out the battlements."

My eyes widened. Looking at the nearest battlement, I sheathed my sword and said, "I'll need to get closer."

Dad reached down then and took my hand helping me on the rhino. Sokka exclaimed, "I've got an idea!"

The rough rhino raced across the battlefield and I grabbed onto dad's armor to keep from falling. Dad said back at me, "I watched you fight! I'm very proud of you, Amber."

I wasn't sure what dad was talking about. I almost got stabbed in the heart by a spear.

"We have to get to Appa," Sokka shouted back at us.

My eyes darted across the battlefield searching for the giant flying sky bison. Scanning the fight before me, and cringing every time an explosion hit near us, I finally spotted Katara and Appa in the distance. "Over there!"

Sokka turned the rhino to where I was pointing and we took off once more toward Katara and Appa. When we arrived, Katara looked over at us with question. Sokka slid down the rhino and said, "We need Appa. We have to take out the battlements!"

Katara nodded. "I'm coming too."

Rushing onto Appa we took off from the ground and flew toward the battlements. The soldiers in the battlements immediately tried to fire at us. Standing on the saddle, I tightened my fist and created a powerful flame. With all the strength I had, I threw the flame hard and it hit the stone structure as we flew past. A hot explosions shot out of the battlement and we watched as Fire Nation soldiers jumped out of the windows to keep from being burned.

"Fire ball!" Sokka shouted.

Turning, my eyes widened when I saw a hot ball of fire flying toward us. Rushing to the edge of Appa's saddle, I held my hand out to stop the flaming ball of whatever was being burned. The fire on the ball quickly died and the burning gunk flew past us hitting the wall beside us.

Appa flew closer to another battlement and I fired again shooting a hard blast of fire at the battlement. It hit inside like the last one and exploded. "Keep it up, Amber!"

Sweat beaded down my forehead as I fired at more battlements. Eventually, I couldn't breathe in my helmet and I tore it off letting a little weight off of me. Firing again, I took out what felt like battlement number eight.

"Sokka… I don't know if Amber can do this much longer," Katara said, noticing I was getting pretty exhausted.

Sokka tried to keep me going. "Just two more, Amber! You can do it!"

Appa flew closer to one of the last two battlements. They were steadily firing at the warriors below us. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to gather what energy I still had. Lighting another flame, I shot a blast of fire at the battlement. My fire hit the stone structure but it wasn't strong enough this time. All it did was break a hole into the stone.

"I can't," I said out of breath.

Sokka landed Appa between the two remaining battlements, saying, "That's okay Amber. We'll handle the last two. You catch your breath."

Sokka, Katara, and dad all slid off of Appa. Dad quickly said, "You two take out that battlement. I've got this one. Watch each other's backs." They separated then, dad running to one battlement and my brother and sister running to the other. Quickly I slid off Appa, ignoring the burn in my muscles.

Looking over, I saw Katara and Sokka had already broken into their own battlement, and I watched as a Fire Nation soldier was thrown out the window by my brother. They rushed out of the battlement a moment later, both beaming with delight that they had taken down the large structure. They ran back over to me, and Sokka asked, "Where's dad?"

An explosion sounded suddenly, and I turned looking over at the battlement father had entered with wide eyes. Fire blazed from inside the battlement, and Fire Nation soldiers ran out coughing.

Katara cried, "Dad?"

He never came out, and I gasped running toward the blazing battlement. Sokka called after me to try and stop me, "Amber! Wait!" Ignoring him, I raced through the burning doorway shielding my eyes from the bright flames.

"Dad!" I cried, searching the circular room anxiously.

My father's voice suddenly called, "Amber!"

Fire blazed around me. I couldn't pinpoint where he was through all the flames. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath as I felt the warmth from the hot spouts of life that surrounded me and the building. Concentrating hard, I managed to remove the heat from the large stone structure and douse the flames. The fire stopped after a moment and I gasped trying to catch my breath. When the fire was gone, I could see around the room more clearly. Dad was lying on the floor, a wooden board lying on top of him. He cringed in pain.

"Dad!" I rushed forward and saw he was trying to push the board off of him. Grabbing the board, I saw my body glow as I felt strength fill inside me. Gripping the board, I yanked it off of dad and managed to drop it beside him. My dad held pain in his eyes, but he also looked amazed and relieved to see me.

"Di-did you stop the fire?"

I grabbed his arm and managed to get him to his feet. He used me as a crutch, his side cut from where the wood most likely jabbed into him. He had burns on his body too.

"Yeah… I know. I'm a freak," I said, helping father to the singed doorway.

My dad corrected me. "No… You're amazing!"

Sokka and Katara met us at the doorway, and Katara rushed over to take dad's other arm and help him. Katara looked at me grateful. "Glad you got to him in time!"

"Me too," I said.

We managed to walk him a little ways from the battlement, and then Katara lowered him to the ground. She pulled some water out and started to heal his wound on his side. "How does that feel, dad?"

He winced but smiled weakly. "A... a little better." He sat up clutching his side. "I need… to get back… to the troops."

My sister pushed him back down. "You're hurt. Badly. You can't fight anymore."

My father winced as he said, "Everyone's counting on me to lead this mission, Katara. I won't let them down." He sat up again and tried to stand, but he fell back to the ground with a groan of pain.

Sokka anxiously asked, "Can't you heal him any faster?"

Katara snapped, "I'm doing everything I can!"

Sokka took in the situation for a moment. Then determination came to his eyes. "I'll do it."

Katara misunderstood. "No offense Sokka but you're not exactly Mr. Healing Hands."

"No." Sokka stood touching the hilt of his sword. "I'll lead the invasion force."

Katara looked at him with shock. "Don't be crazy, Sokka."

"Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does," Sokka said. Looking over at the volcano, I knew we had to get moving if we wanted to make it in time.

Dad nodded at his son. "You can do this. I'm proud of you, son."

Sokka smiled down at him. Katara rolled her eyes but smiled. "I still think you're crazy but I'm proud of you too."

Sokka placed his helmet back on and turned to leave. Standing, I said, "I'm coming too."

He turned to me with surprise. He was about to argue but he stopped when he saw the look of determination in my eyes. Nodding, he said, "Okay. Come on."

We ran back to Appa and quickly climbed on. Though I was exhausted I was ready to just get this war over with. As Sokka got Appa to fly, I heard him say, "Good job saving dad. He'd be burned to a crisp if you hadn't been there."

"I wasn't going to watch him die like I did with mom."

Sokka was stunned by what I said, but I looked away not meeting his eyes. He sighed and turned back forward not sure what to say.

We flew back down to the ground where the battle was taking place. The Fire Nation tanks were destroyed, and the Fire Nation soldiers were lying on the ground some dead and some unconscious.

Sokka quickly took charge, shouting, "Listen up everyone, I want the tanks in wedge formation!" He gestured this with his arms pointing in a v-shape. "Warriors and benders in the middle. We're taking that tower and headed for the royal palace!" Sokka pointed at the large tower in the distance.

We'd have to blast the gate if we had any hopes of getting through. Sokka looked at me with question, "Do you have enough strength to blast a hole through the gate?"

Confidence filled inside me. "Yeah… I've got it."

Sokka smiled at me, and then looked back at the others. The earth tanks had formed a v formation and the warriors and benders were flanked in the middle. Sokka held his weapon toward the tower then and cried, "CHARGE!"

Appa took flight and we raced forward toward the tower. The warriors and benders behind us raced forward as well, prepared to run through the gate. Soldiers from the tower fired at us, but earth benders shot rocks at the enemy to stop some of the flames. As we got closer to the tower, I stood in front of Sokka ready to fire at the large metal gate in front of us.

"Now Amber!" Sokka ordered.

With a shout, I thrust both of my hands forward and a large blast of fire shot from my fists. The fire was made up of so many colors; it threw me off for a moment. It was the most beautiful fire I'd created so far. The powerful blast flowed straight toward the gate a few yards in front of us. The fire was hot enough to melt a large hole through the bottom of the gate, large enough and wide enough for everyone to pass through. The blast sent me flying back, and Sokka caught me grabbing my waist to keep me from falling back on Appa's saddle. His other hand gripped Appa's reins hard.

The invasion cheered behind us as we broke past the tower, and both Sokka and I sighed with relief. Sokka let me go and I crawled away from him slumping in Appa's large saddle. My heart raced as adrenaline pumped through me. Honestly, I didn't think that blast would melt through the gate.

"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Tyro shouted, and I sat up to see what he was talking about. The soldiers were running from us, and they looked scared. Glancing over at the volcano, I saw we still had a little ways to go before we reached the palace.

Appa landed then, and I heard Bato shout up to Sokka, "Sokka, we're on our way to victory."

Sokka looked over at the volcano with determination. While he did this I clutched my bracelet and asked Roku, "Is Kale and Aang still alright?"

He answered, _"They have made it safely to the palace."_

That's all he said, but it at least relieved my worries.

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><p><strong>AN: That's part 1! Hope you enjoyed! I'm getting started on part 2 ASAP. Thanks again for reading, and let me know what you thought.**

**~Faithy Waithy**


	12. Wins and Losses

**A/N: Readers! Thank you once again for reading and reviewing. I love hearing everyone's comments as well as everyone's advice. I've taken suggestions to heart. The romance will definitely stay on solely Amber and Kale ;). Here's part 2 of the battle. I hope you all enjoy! =D**

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><p>The moon was visible beside the blazing sun. It was almost time for the eclipse. We were through the first barrier and the stone centipede tanks surrounded us to block out fire blasts from the enemy that was still being persistent. Sitting cross legged, I drink water from a canteen trying to rehydrate for the battle that we were still in. Sokka, Hakoda, and another warrior were busy looking at maps trying to figure out our next move. We still had to get up the volcano to reach the palace. We still had a ways to go.<p>

Toph approached me suddenly, and I handed her my canteen. She shot me a thanks and sipped it thirstily. "This has been a long day," I said.

"It's almost over," Toph said, handing the canteen back to me. "You did great breaking through that gate by the way."

I thanked her, my hands fiddling with my bracelets again. "You're doing great too. Your parents would be proud if they knew what you were doing right now."

Toph sighed. "Yeah… They probably have no clue what I'm doing right now."

"Amber!" Looking over, I saw Haru walk over to me. He had a few burns but other than that he looked okay. He smiled when he saw I was okay too. "You were amazing out there! You blew through that gate like it was nothing!"

Standing, I said, "I just want to get this stupid war over with."

He stopped in front of me. "How did you learn to fire bend like that?"

Immediately I felt sweat bead down my forehead. I wasn't ready to tell anyone that I was the spirit of fire. Immediately I tried to come up with a lie. "Um… Just a lot of practice."

Haru looked suspicious. "I've seen fire bending in the past… Your fire is different."

Quickly I tried to come up with something else, but Toph saved me. "Not really… I've seen tons of fire benders like her."

Haru looked at her bewildered. "But your blind," Haru said. He obviously wasn't used to her sarcasm.

Toph smirked. "Glad you noticed." She stepped forward then, snapping, "Got a problem with it?"

Haru held his hands up in surrender. "No! No! Sorry."

Toph laughed. "Just messing with you." She turned and walked over to Sokka who was still looking down at the map.

Sighing, I said, "Sorry about her. She likes to mess with people. She does it to us all the time."

Haru watched her go, and I saw he smiled a bit. "She seems really strong."

"She has to be… It's the only way people will treat her as an equal." He looked at me with question, so I explained, "Toph's parents were very protective of her. They kept her a secret from the world to 'keep her safe'. She hated being treated like a weak blind girl. That's why she came with us… We treated her like an equal."

He frowned. "Wow… She's been through a lot." I looked at Haru with surprise. His eyes were still on Toph. Something told me he didn't have his eyes set on me anymore. Thank goodness!

Tyro suddenly called Haru back, and Haru wished me luck leaving to return to his father. Walking back over to Sokka, I saw he was still analyzing the map.

Bato stood and turned to me. "You fight well, Amber."

I shrugged. "Just trying to do my part in this war."

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I was wrong about you… You truly are a member of our tribe."

I blushed and said a soft thanks.

"Dad! You're on your feet again!"

Looking over, I saw Sokka stood and was rushing over to dad who had arrived in the stone barricade. My sister was still helping him walk, but he looked like he was doing much better than when we left him. Running over too, I saw him smile at both Sokka and I. Katara helped him sit down, and he shot her a look of gratitude.

"Thanks to your sister. I'm in no shape to fight but maybe there is someway I could help."

Sokka beamed at dad, reassuring him, "Everything's going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet."

He nodded. "Let's hope our luck holds out." He looked at Katara then, and I noticed that her eyes were staring off in the distance. "Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

Katara stepped forward. "Yeah... Is that... is that Aang and Kale?"

Sokka looked shocked. "What?"

My eyes widened and looked to where she was looking. Coming toward us was Aang, and on the back of his glider was Kale holding on for dear life. When Aang landed, Kale quickly let go and rushed over to me. Aang and him both looked really dismayed.

Sokka stood and anxiously asked, "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down?"

Kale sighed, hanging his head. "I led Aang through the palace, but no one was there. They somehow knew!"

Aang added. "He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."

I was baffled. "How could they have known?"

Kale crossed his arms. "They must've suspected there would be an eclipse today and ran."

Aang hung his head defeated. "It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."

Sokka crossed his arms. "No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker. Somewhere he could go so it'll be safe during a siege but still be close enough to lead his nation."

Toph smiled. "If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it."

My eyes widened as they spoke this. A memory struck me.

"_Where are we going Uncle Iroh?" I asked, holding his hand as my five year old self skipped beside him. We were walking outside the palace walls, heading up the street toward the volcano in the distance. _

_My uncle looked down at me with a smile. "Your mom wanted me to show you where we go in case an invasion occurs. She wants you to be safe if it ever happens."_

_I was confused. "Why would an invasion happen?" _

_Uncle sighed looking forward once more. "We have many enemies, Amber. No need to fear though. The Fire Nation is a strong fortress, so the chance of an invasion is very slim."_

"_Do we have enemies because grand-pa's mean to a lot of people?"_

_Uncle nodded. "Yes… That's exactly why."_

"_Will you be Fire Lord one day?" _

_Uncle smiled down at me. "Yes… And I plan to stop this war as soon as I'm put on the throne."_

"_You're nice Uncle Iroh!"_

_He squeezed my hand. "Thank you for thinking so my dear." He then pointed forward. "We're almost there. The place I'm taking you to is underneath the volcano."_

My eyes widened and I clutched my head as it pulsed in pain. "Amber?" Kale caught me as I stumbled a bit_, _but I smiled letting him know I was okay.

"I know where it is… The memory just came to me," I said.

Katara looked at me amazed. Sokka jumped forward grabbing both of my shoulders and saying eagerly, "Where Amber? Tell me!"

Kale pushed him off a bit. "Whoa… Don't shake her to death." Kale then looked at me with question. "Where is it?"

I pointed toward the volcano. "Beneath the volcano. There's a massive structure underneath. My Uncle took me on a tour when I was five."

Toph beamed. "Nice one Princess! So glad to have you in the group!"

Kale muttered, "Would've been nice if someone had told me about it."

Sokka pulled out a strange device then, with a dial on it. "The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about 10 minutes until the full eclipse. 10 minutes to find the Fire Lord."

"We can do it," I said. "We've gotten this far."

"Amber's right! We can still do this. We can still win today," Aang said, confident.

Katara held up her hand. "Wait! If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure all of us get out of here safely."

My dad spoke up now. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."

Sokka looked at Aang, all seriousness. "What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

We all looked at Aang waiting for his answer. He held his staff with confidence. "I've got to try."

Sokka nodded, and then he looked at all of us. Toph, Kale, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and myself looked at one another with determination. Sokka quickly said, "Alright… We only have a few minutes to find the secret bunker. Who's coming?"

In the end all of us except for Katara decided to go. Katara was staying with dad, making sure he made it up the volcano in one piece. Quickly we climbed onto Appa, and Sokka set the bison in flight. We took off toward the volcano, all of us glancing at the sun above where the moon was getting closer and closer.

"Amber… Do you remember exactly where the bunker is located?" Sokka asked.

Shaking my head, I said, "No… That part's really fuzzy. Sorry." I hung my head a bit disappointed in myself.

Kale placed a hand on my shoulder saying, "You're fine… You told us enough. We know it's at the volcano so that's something."

Toph nodded. "Yeah. You've helped plenty Princess. Leave the rest to me."

Appa flew to the side of the volcano then, and he landed on a flat spot where we could stand. All five of us slid off Appa and Toph set to work. As Toph tried to see below the earth we waited patiently for her to say something. All of us except Aang who was very anxious.

Aang quickly asked, "Do you feel anything down there?"

Toph nodded. "Yep. There are natural tunnels crisscrossing through the Inside of the volcano."

Sokka jumped in. "Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?"

Toph suddenly knelt down and grabbed the ground with her hands, concentrating on the world below. "There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."

Sokka grinned, "Sounds like a secret bunker to me."

Great… We had to go underground again. I hated going underground more than anything. There was thick air, and it was cold and dark most of the time. "Here goes nothing," I said softly.

Kale nodded. "We've got this. We're ready."

Aang looked at all of us with serious eyes. "You guys don't have to come. I can go the rest of the way on my own."

I shook my head. "No… We stick together. Family always sticks together."

Kale stepped forward, throwing an arm around Aang's shoulder. "Amber's right. We got your back Aang."

He shot us all looks of relief. He was hoping we didn't let him go alone.

Sokka spoke up then. "Come on guys… Time's wasting. We have five minutes."

Toph pointed over to the side of the volcano. "There's a tunnel right there. It will lead us straight to the bunker below." She thrust her hand forward then and the earth shot back into the volcano creating an entrance to the tunnel. We started to head inside, and Aang told Momo and Appa before we left to wait where they were and stay safe.

As we got farther and farther in the volcano it got darker and darker. Eventually I lit a flame in my hand to light our path. We must've walked for a good whole minute until we reached the actual tunnel. When we got to the larger tunnel, we saw it was lit by magma.

Stopping my flame, I said, "Tip… Don't touch the magma."

Aang said sarcastically, "Gee… Thanks for the warning Amber."

Kale laughed. "Yeah. Great tip!"

We reached a split in the tunnel then, and Toph concentrated once more. "This way," she said, pointing to the left. "The other way's a dead end!" We took off in the direction she pointed.

Sokka exclaimed, "What would we do without you?!"

Toph turned her head with a smile. "Perish and burn in hot magma."

The tunnel started to narrow then, and we ended up having to get on our knees and crawl. Magma flowed beside us, but luckily it was far enough not to burn anyone.

Quickly, I asked as sweat beaded down my forehead, "How much more time do you think we have till the eclipse?"

Sokka said from in front of me, "Probably three minutes. We better hurry."

We eventually reached the end of the tunnel and made it to a large open spaced cavern. The cavern had spouts on the floor that seemed to shoot out hot steam randomly.

Toph pointed forward. "The tunnel continues on the other side and it leads right to the bunker."

Sokka was rash and ran forward toward one of the vents that was about to spew some very hot steam. I knew it was about to burst because I felt the heat in the spout begin to increase. "Sokka! Stop!" He stopped a few inches away from the spout, just far enough not to be burned to bits. The hot steam spouted and shot up in front of him, and he fell back from the steam with a gasp. Kale ran forward and helped my brother up pulling him back.

Aang looked worried. "How do we get by? We don't know which ones are going to shoot out burning stuff next!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "I just sensed that Sokka was about to be blown to smithereens." The group looked at me with surprise. "I can sense the heat below. I know which ones are going to erupt."

Toph stepped aside and waved her hand forward with a smirk. "Lead the way my Princess."

I glared at her, and I wished she could see it. Ignoring her smart aleck tone, I said, "Keep close to me."

We raced across the large cavern then, and I managed to direct the gang around the spouts that were about to burst. When we reached the edge of the cavern, everyone looked relieved and thankful for my help. Sokka pulled his time dial out to see how much time was left before the eclipse. "Two minutes! Let's move!"

We rushed along, but immediately I grabbed Kale and Aang before they fell off the ledge in front of us. We'd reached another cavern like area, and this one was covered with lava flowing by.

Sokka looked worried, staring down at the flowing lava. "What do we do now?"

Aang sighed. "I can't fly us all across the cavern. We have to turn and go another way."

Sokka rubbed his face as his hope started to sway. "This day just isn't our day."

Toph said, "I would try and bend a bridge, but the only earth around us is cooled magma."

Kale pondered over all of this. "There has to be something we can use."

While the group pondered I set to work. Shutting my eyes, I felt warmth flow through my body as my spiritual self began to give me strength. Taking in a deep breath, I concentrated on the mass of heat around us. Immediately I drew the heat from the air, my hand tingling as I caused the flowing hot magma to cool. As I took more heat from the river around us, I heard Roku say, _"Following in my footsteps and battling a volcano… I'm very proud."_

I smiled, glad to hear Roku. My power increased even more as I cooled more of the lava flowing by. I heard voices in the background, but I honestly wasn't sure who was talking. Instead I concentrated on the heat that was quickly starting to fade. The sound of rushing lava around me began to fade as well, and I heard cracking as the hot liquid became solid. When I no longer felt heat, I stopped and opened my eyes. Looking out at what I had done, I saw with relief that the magma was cool and had hardened.

"Amber… You just cooled a whole river of lava!" Aang exclaimed.

The glow around me faded, and as the glow faded I felt my strength fade. Dropping to the ground, I gasped for air trying to collect myself. My heart pounded hard and my vision blurred.

"Amber!" Sokka cried.

Quickly, I breathed out, "Go… I just… need to… catch… my breath…"

"We'll wait," Aang said.

Trying to sit up, I found the strength. "No… Go before the magma starts to come again. I'll catch up."

Sokka, Aang, and Toph looked unsure, but Kale told them he'd stay with me. They nodded and took off, all three jumping off the ledge and landing on the magma I had just cooled. While they were gone, I tried to catch my breath.

"The only thing that sucks about being the spirit of fire in a human body… It really takes a toll out of you," I said, trying to find my balance.

Kale helped me up, and I felt him brush strands of hair out of my eyes. "We're almost done. We just have a little ways more to go."

"After this, I have a feeling we're all going to sleep good tonight," I joked.

Kale nodded, smiling at my humor.

Heat started to radiate near us again, and I gasped. "Come on… We have to go." Taking Kale's hand, we both managed to jump off the edge of the small ledge and land a few feet down on the cooled magma. The lava was starting to flow again, but Kale and I managed to make it across the cooled river in enough time. We reached the other side and Kale hoisted me up on the ledge. Quickly I turned and grabbed his hand helping him up on the ledge also. When we were both safely across, we watched as the cooled magma began to break up and hot lava started to form again. "Come on," Kale said. "We need to catch up to the others."

We ran through the tunnel then, rushing steeply down. Finally we ran to where a metal door once stood. Toph must've used metal bending to break the door open. Going through we stepped into a metal hall, and we found the hall was lit by torches. Kale and I ran the way we hoped Aang and the others had gone. Rushing through the dimly lit hall we turned a corner and I bumped into someone hard.

The man fell back on the ground, and I stumbled back into Kale. Kale caught me. The man on the ground shot his eyes up at me with terror. He was wearing a fine fire nation robe and he held his hands in front of his face terrified. "Please! I already told your friends. The Fire Lord's chamber is that way down the hall to the left and up the stairs. You can't miss it."

Kale laughed, and we looked at him in surprise. "War minister Qin… Glad to see your true colors," Kale said.

The man on the ground looked at Kale with amazement. "You… You're that tea server boy! Wha- what are you doing fighting with the enemy you traitor?!"

Grabbing the man by his robe collar, I hissed, "He's helping your princess end this war once and for all."

The man's eyes almost bugged out of his sockets. "You… Princess Amber… You're dead…"

Kale grabbed me and pulled back to keep me from frying the dude. "Come on Amber. Let's go."

We left the man on the ground completely stunned as we raced the way he told us to go. Running down the hall, we turned to the left and rushed up some stairs. When we got into the new hall, we saw in front of us a large door that was already wide open. Voices could be heard on the other side.

"I had a hunch that you survived. It doesn't matter, I've known about the invasion for months," Azula's voice said, echoing through the hall. My eyes widened. What was my sister doing here? Was Zuko here too?

Sokka's voice spoke now as we got closer to the door. "What? How could you possibly have known about the eclipse?"

My sister answered, "I was disguised as a Kyoshi warrior. I heard some rumors going around back at Ba Sing Sei."

A growl came from my brother.

Entering the room, I found a large massive throne room. Seated on the throne in the room was Azula, a smirk on her face as she stared at Sokka, Toph, and Aang who stood across from her with fury. Sokka had his sword drawn, and Toph and Aang were in stances ready to fight.

Aang stepped forward. "Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula faked being insulted. "Hm, you mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings."

Sokka snapped brandishing his sword toward Azula, "Stop wasting our time and give us the information. You're powerless right now so you're in no position to refuse."

Toph added, "And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." Azula stood then and said with an expressionless face, "I am a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

Toph looked shocked. "Okay you're good, I admit it." She then pointed a finger at Azula. "But you really ought to consider telling the truth anyway."

My sister cackled. "Right… And what if I-"

"Azula!" I snapped, cutting her off. "Where is the Fire Lord?"

The sound of my voice startled everyone, but I didn't look at their faces. I kept my eyes pointed straight at my sister. Her eyes widened, her skin paled, and her jaw dropped. She looked like she was seeing a ghost. She immediately fell back on her throne, her eyes looking me over with terror.

"You… I shot you! I watched you die! You died!" Azula had tears form in her eyes.

Stepping past Sokka, Aang, and Toph, I knew they were anxious for me not to approach. I ignored them though and stepped closer to my sister. The eclipse had already started, so I wasn't concerned about my sister firing at me.

"You're really that surprised… I already came back from the dead once before. Why does this surprise you?"

Azula looked so weak. She looked so heartbroken. She held so much pain on her face. She always acted like a monster, but right now she looked like a fourteen year old who held the death of her sister on her shoulders. "I killed you," she whispered. "You died."

"You didn't kill me Azula… I never died."

Walking up to her, I heard Aang ask softly, "Shouldn't we stop her?"

Kale spoke up. "No… Let Amber do this."

Stopping only a foot from Azula's throne, I looked down at her with all seriousness. She looked at me with complete and utter loss. "I don't blame you for what happened back in Ba Sing Sei, Azula. I don't blame you for anything that happened in the past."

Aang muttered, "I do." Then he grunted as Kale elbowed him in the side to shut him up.

"How can you not blame me?" Azula snapped, standing now with crazed eyes. "I killed you!"

"You didn't kill me," I said again. "You may have injured me, but you didn't kill me. You don't have to keep putting all this weight on your shoulders."

She had tears streaming down her cheeks now. "How can you treat me so kindly? How can you just let me killing you slide?! I killed you! I shot lightning at you!"

"Because I forgive you," I explained.

The room fell silent for a moment. Azula looked at me with surprise. Her eyes stared into my own with so much loss, uncertainty, fear, and weakness. She was taken so off guard, something that rarely ever happened to her. She was speechless and unsure what to say. That was probably the first time in Azula's whole life she'd heard the word forgive said to her.

"Look Azula… I know why you're doing what you're doing. You're afraid of being alone. You're afraid the Fire Lord will banish or kill you just as he tried to do to Zuko and myself. He has you wrapped tightly around his little finger, and it's because you're afraid of him. He knows your weakness, and he's using it against you. You want to be loved by someone… You want to feel like you're wanted…"

Azula dropped her gaze as she continued to listen to what I was saying.

"I love you, Azula… I'm your sister, and your mine. We're family, and the Fire Lord can never destroy that. You don't have to follow him around like he's the last of your family. You have me, Zuko, and Uncle. We're a family that the Fire Lord will never be able to break apart."

The room fell silent once again as I let Azula take in everything I had said. She fell on her knees, sobs suddenly escaping her as she actually heard what I was telling her. Kneeling in front of her, I said, "Listen to me… We don't have much time… Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula shook her head wildly, her nose dripping as more tears escaped her. Taking her shaking hand in my own, I said, "Please, Azula… Help me."

She shook her head again, and I heard her say, "I can't… I can't betray him. I won't betray him."

Sighing, I stood and turned to the others. They were looking at me speechless with complete disbelief. "How much time do we have?"

Sokka quickly jumped out of his state of shock. "Um… Eight minutes till the eclipse ends. We need to find out something if we want to beat-"

A cry escaped me suddenly as earth shot up underneath me and flung me up in the air. Falling back to the ground hard, I landed on the dirt hitting my head. My vision went a bit fuzzy, but I could hear Azula say, "No! I won't betray father! He does love me! You're wrong!"

"Oh crap! It's Dai Li agents!" Sokka's panic was very blurry. "What are they doing here?"

Azula tried to gather herself and push back her sobs. With a tight voice she said, "They came with me from Ba Sing Sei."

Someone grabbed me suddenly. "Amber! Come on! Focus!" My head was splitting, but I managed to focus enough to see Aang shaking my shoulder to try and get me to come to. When he saw I was more focused, he helped me to my feet. Looking over, I saw Azula gritting her teeth to stop her tears. Two Dai Li agents were flanked on both sides of her ready to fight.

A fight broke out then. Aang used his staff and shot a hard gust of wind toward my sister and the two Dai Li agents. The agents thrust their hands up and a large stone wall emerged blocking the gust of wind. Everyone ran toward Azula and the agents then, and I watched as Toph bent the earth away so they could get through. The Dai Li agents shot earth up beneath Toph, Sokka, Kale, and Aang's feet, but they were all able to avoid it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Azula run past the fight and to a door. Racing after her, I slid in the hall she went in and saw her form running as fast as she could from me. "Azula! Stop!" She turned down another hall, and I turned too trying to catch up to her. "Azula!"

Shooting my hand forward, I shot up a wall of fire in front of her so the hall in front of her was blocked. She came to a skid gasping when she saw the bright colorful flames in front of her. She couldn't fire bend through the flames so she had no choice but to turn around with wide eyes.

"How can you fire bend?!" She asked, completely confused to why I could bend and she could not.

Catching my breath, I said to her, "Because… I'm not connected to the sun like you all are. My fire comes from myself."

Azula stared at me with shock, then fury. "So you really are a freak then!"

She stepped forward, and I held my hands up in surrender. "I don't want to fight you Azula. Can't we just talk?"

She growled. "You can't win me over with your sister love crap!" She rushed forward and took a swing at me with her hand. Using my warrior skills, I grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She gasped as I forced her hand behind her. While I was holding tightly to her wrist, I kicked her off her feet and she landed on the ground face first.

"Stop Azula… I don't want to hurt you," I said, letting go of her hand. My sister scrambled to her feet and backed away from me with great agony. She didn't back too far since there was still a wall of fire behind her.

She was hurting so much on the inside. She was struggling with her own inner demons. Her heart was probably telling her to listen to me, but her mind was probably telling her to kill me. Stepping forward, I said, "You don't have to keep going down this path… Help us fight against the Fire Lord."

Azula scowled. "Why? To end this war? I like this war! I like the idea of the Fire Nation winning! I'm not a traitor like you and Zuko!" She glared daggers at me. "You can't change my mind by calling me your sister! I hate you!" Her voice broke when she spoke the last three words. She didn't hate me. The Fire Lord just made her think she hated me.

"You can hate me all you want Azula," I said. "But I'm not giving up on you. You deserve better than just the Fire Lord."

Azula clutched her hair, her eyes shut tightly as she felt her thoughts run wildly. "I'm a monster… Why would you care for me? I've only ever been seen as a monster in this family!"

"I've met a monster before," I began, thinking back to Hei Bai. "He may have looked and acted like a monster on the outside, but on the inside he was as scared and angry as you are now. With a little help, he was able to find peace."

Azula turned away from me, and she snapped, "I don't need your help!"

"But I need your help," I said. "I want to fix this Azula, and I can't do it unless you let me." Azula stood, and I saw her shoulders slump as she began to accept what I was saying.

The ground shook beneath us suddenly, and I gasped when Azula was shoved to the wall abruptly and held against it by a rocky stalagmite. She growled and struggled trying to escape her stone restraints. Everything we had just discussed no longer mattered anymore. She was furious again. "Let me go!"

"Princess. Are you alright?" Toph asked. Looking back the way I had come earlier, I saw her and the others had caught up to us. The Dai Li agents must've been beaten.

Nodding, I killed the wall of fire still blazing behind me. "Yeah… I was just talking."

Azula tried to compose herself. "You all are going to get it when I'm through with you!"

Aang pointed his staff at her chin, and snapped, "Is that a threat?"

Sokka grabbed Aang's shoulder. "Stop. Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us."

My sister scowled, not very happy Sokka had discovered her plans.

Toph pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!"

Stepping forward, I went to interject but Sokka grabbed my arm pulling me back.

"Sokka!" I complained, trying to yank from his hand.

Aang lowered his staff and looked at Sokka with question. None of them rushed to help me get out of my brother's grasp. Aang asked, "Okay, so what do we do? Just ignore her?"

Sokka nodded. "We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow."

He forced me to come with him, and I looked back at my sister heartbroken that I couldn't get through to her. There had to be a way to get Azula to see how much I cared about her. Kale walked beside me, and I saw him looking at me with sorry eyes. I hung my head knowing I wouldn't be able to stop us from walking away.

"It's a trap!" My sister suddenly shouted after us, trying to stall us some more. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Sokka scowled. "Ignore!"

My sister quickly tried another method, and this time it worked. "So, Sokka's your name right. My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time." Sokka jerked to a stop, and he turned forcing me to turn too. I winced under his grip. "She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka let me go and stormed up to my sister who was trying hard to hide the emotions she wanted to let out. While he marched up to my sister, I rubbed my arm where it pulsed a bit in pain. This was not going the way I thought it would.

Sokka got right to my sister's face and punched the earth right beside her. Pieces of dirt fell from where his knuckles broke the earth. His eyes watered and he gritted his teeth as he spat at Azula, "Where is Suki?!"

I went to go intervene but Kale grabbed me to stop me. Great… Go from being restrained by one person to the other.

My sister didn't answer at first, so Sokka asked again, "Where's Suki?! Answer me!"

Aang stepped forward, intervening for me. He grabbed Sokka's shoulder pulling him away a bit. "Sokka, she won't talk."

My brother yanked from Aang and clutched his hand into a tight fist. He was against hitting girls, but I could tell he really wanted to take a swing at Azula. "Where are you keeping her?!"

The sound of an explosion suddenly echoed through the hall we were in. We all jumped by the noise, and I gasped when I realized what was going on. The eclipse was over. Azula had managed to distract us. We failed.

"Looks like the fire bending's back on," my sister said, almost relieved.

She breathed in and I yanked from Kale running forward. Shoving Sokka out of the way, we both landed on the ground as hot blue fire shot over our heads from Azula's mouth. Azula then used her fire to cause the stalagmite around her to break and burst into pieces. We all shielded our heads as rock flew at us.

Azula took off down the hall then, but she stopped looking back at us. Sokka and I were to our feet again, and I stared at my sister with disbelief. She frowned when she met my eyes, and looked away. Staring at the others, she tried to hide her emotions behind a cold mask. "Dad's all the way at the end of the hall and down the secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now." She turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at me. She looked sorry. "Thanks for the talk sis." She then took off and disappeared down the hall.

"I fell for it! I used up all our time," Sokka cried, clutching his hair in guilt.

Toph tried to cheer him up. "It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."

Kale sighed. "It's too late. Let's just get out of here."

Aang shook his head. "Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over but I can face the Fire Lord anyway."

Sokka shook his head. "No. I don't think that's a good idea."

"But I'm ready! I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."

Toph spoke up. "The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help our friends."

"I'm sorry… I thought I could get through to her," I said softly, my heart pained from my failure to win my sister back.

Sokka placed a hand on my shoulder trying to comfort me. "You and Aang both will have another chance. I know you will. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here."

Kale sighed. "Guess we should head back the way we came."

We did just that. Rushing back down the hall, we ran back through the destroyed throne room, back down the other halls, and back up the tunnel. When we reached the river of lava, I quickly cooled the lava once more stopping the hot liquid and turning it to hard rock. When I finished, I stumbled a bit but caught myself.

"Hurry," Sokka said.

We all raced across the cooled magma, Aang flying ahead. When we got to the ledge on the other side, Aang reached his hand down and helped us all up onto the ledge. When we were all safely across, we ran once more through the tunnels. Racing through the room with the vents of hot steam, I led the way once more getting everyone safely across. We reached the last tunnel afterward and managed to get back out of the volcano.

Getting back outside, we all winced at the bright sunlight blinding us. Adjusting, I saw from the distance the fire benders were attacking the troops again. The troops were at the palace, and they looked like they were starting to panic.

Quickly we climbed on Appa, and Aang set him to fly away from the volcano down toward where dad and Katara were. We landed in the city square, and I tried hard not to think that I was at the very place where so much suffering had occurred.

All of us slid off Appa, and Katara and dad came to greet us. Sokka hung his head as he prepared to tell the bad news. "It was all a trap. Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move. We just got to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."

Looking up, I suddenly saw with terror five giant war balloons flying up ahead. Behind those war balloons were five even larger air ships. They were heading toward us, and I knew our fight wasn't over. Pointing at the giant flying machines, I asked, "Should we do something about them?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah. I'm going up there. They've got air power, but so do I!" He opened his glider proving his point. "I'm going to do what I can to slow them down." Aang took off in the air then, and I saw Katara rush over to Appa.

Running after her, I said, "I'm coming too."

She nodded and we both climbed onto Appa. Katara set him flying once again. While she did this I heard Sokka shout, "Everyone, let's get back to the subs!"

We flew quickly toward the sky, both of us prepared to save our friends and family by slowing down the war balloons. Aang flew beside us a second after our take off, saying, "You two take out the ones on the right. I'll go left." We nodded and watched as Aang flew toward the airships to the left of us.

Katara quickly strategized. "I'll fly in between both of the airships. You take out one and I'll get the other."

I nodded. "First we have to take out the balloons first."

Katara looked at the smaller machines flying in front of the war ships. "We've got it."

Katara stood on one side, water drawn and ready, while I stood on the other side, my fire blazing in my hand. We were shot at by benders in the war balloons, but the flames missed us terribly. With a hard burst of fire, I shot a blast at the balloon and the whole thing burst into flames. The balloon went down, and looking back at Katara I saw she'd managed to knock her balloon out of the sky too.

Looking straight forward again, we saw more clearly how big the five air ships were. They stretched a good forty feet, and they were a good thirty feet tall. They were also made completely out of metal.

Aang rejoined us suddenly, and we saw why. The ships were starting to fire mass amounts of fire balls at us. Appa jerked to the side, up, and down trying to avoid the hot blasts of fire. Katara and I tried to block as many as we could, but there were too many fire benders on the ship.

We couldn't get close enough to the ships for Aang and Katara to take them down, but maybe I could do something. While Aang and Katara continued to dodge and block fire balls, I felt my spiritual self take over once more. Power filled inside me as I stared at the large air ship to my right. With a hard blast of fire, I shot at one air ship and to my surprise the ship exploded and caught fire as soon as my flame hit it. The explosion caused us to have to fly down so pieces of the ship didn't hit us. The fire benders stopped firing at us when they saw what I'd done to the air ship. As the air ship went down, Katara said, "That was great Amber!"

The fire started up again though, and we gasped as Appa began to dodge the flames again. Katara shouted to Aang then, "Amber took out one, but she won't be able to fight them all. We can't keep them all back. There are too many of them!"

Aang nodded. "Let's join the others."

We flew away from the air ships then, and I watched as the one I had managed to shoot down fell to the earth. It hit the ground and exploded creating a large burst of flames.

We found the others already out of the city and making their way down the volcano. The troops were trying hard to keep their spirits up, but I could tell everyone was scared. Landing where dad, Kale, Toph, and Sokka were, we slid off of Appa to join them.

"There were too many," Katara said. "Amber took out one airship, but they were firing at us too much to take another."

My dad smiled encouragingly at us. "You all did your best. Let's focus on getting back to the subs."

Shadows suddenly came over us, and we all looked up in terror. The air ships were now hovering above. Sokka quickly shouted to all the other troops, "Try and find cover! I think we're about to see some bombs."

All of the troops were lucky to have at least one earth bender near them. Every troop found themselves under a slab of earth to block the bombs that were about to fall. Appa managed to fit under out own piece of cover that Toph had made us. The bombs came at us quickly, and we all cringed at the shaking earth above us. We were losing, and I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that something terrible was going to happen to us.

The airships passed us then, and we watched them fly away from us with shock. I felt dread fill inside me as I understood why they were no longer focused on us.

Katara asked, "Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?"

Hanging my head, I said, "Because we're not the ones their after. They're going to destroy the submarines so we can't escape."

Aang saw what I was seeing. "Amber's right. They're headed toward the beach!"

Sokka looked horrified. "How are we all going to escape?"

My father took charge then. "We're not."

Sokka nodded. "Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!"

My father placed a reassuring hand on my brother's shoulder. "Yes, with the Avatar we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

My eyes widened. Katara quickly cried to dad, "What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind."

My dad tried to calm her. "You're our only chance in a long run. You, Amber, and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."

Turning, I cried, "No! We're not going to leave you!"

My dad placed his hand on my shoulder saying, "I'll be fine Amber."

Other warriors had arrived to us by now. There was Bato, Tyro, Haru, Teo and his dad, and Pipsqueak and the Duke. Kuro and Coal had also arrived, and I saw they were too dismayed by the events that occurred.

Bato stepped forward and said to my sister, "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle."

Tyro added in, "I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by."

My heart ached at the thought of my father being a prisoner to the Fire Lord. My heart ached at the thought of all these people being prisoner to the Fire Lord. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and Kale came to my side pulling me to him.

Sokka gasped. "They're already at the beach!"

We looked over across the land toward the water in the distance. The air ships were already at the water, and we watched with complete and utter loss as they bombed the submarines in the distance. Our last hope for escape was completely destroyed.

This war would never end it seemed.

My father shouted to everyone, "We may have lost this battle, but this isn't the end." The warriors on other parts of the volcano were listening to him. "The avatar is still with us. As long as he lives we have hope that one day this war will end!" The crowd all cheered then, and everyone felt a little better by my father's encouragement.

Bato turned to us saying, "You all need to go before the air ships come back. You don't have much time."

We all said our goodbyes then, first Sokka giving dad a hug and then Katara. I was last. Rushing into my father's arms, I felt tears pour from my eyes as I held my dad close to me. He hugged me close to him as well, as if this would be the last time we'd see each other. "You've made me so proud," he said. He kissed me on the forehead and pulled away. Both of us were greatly pained to be separated again.

"I love you dad," I said.

He brushed my hair out of my face. "I love you too sunshine."

Turning, I went to join the others who were helping to get Teo onto Appa. As Toph lifted the kid with some earth, his father helped place him onto Appa's saddle. They shared a hug, not wanting to be separated but knowing they had to be. Haru hugged his father too, and I saw they were hurting terribly at the thought of Tyro going back to prison. The Duke looked heartbroken as Pipsqueak helped him on Appa. Kale was wishing his brother goodbye too, and I saw Kuro smirk and say, "I'll see you real soon bro. Stay out of trouble."

Aang walked over to me, and I felt him nudge my arm. "You okay?" he asked.

Hanging my head a bit, I said, "Yeah… I just wish we could do something. It's not fair that we escape and they all suffer."

Aang sighed. "We'll make this right. We'll stop this war."

"Come on guys," Katara suddenly said. She walked over to us with sad eyes. "We have to go."

Katara and I climbed up on Appa. Sokka and Kale were already on the saddle, and they both reached down helping us up. When everyone was on Appa, and Aang sat at the front with Momo on his shoulder, he stood and looked at all the troops around us.

Clutching his staff in his hand he said to everyone, "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you."

Sitting in the saddle, I hung my head as Appa took flight. Today had not gone how any of us had planned it to go. As we flew through the sky, I looked around to see all the kids around me were greatly saddened by everything that had occurred. Toph sat back against the saddle, her clouded eyes filling with tears. Katara leaned against Sokka and he comforted her hanging his head in defeat also.

Kale sighed, and I felt him pull me to him and press his face into my hair.

Aang said over the wind around us, "I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple."

As everyone fell silent, feeling nothing but defeat from today's events, I looked out toward the sky asking Roku, _"Do you think they'll be okay?"_

He didn't answer, and I could tell he was upset about today too. We'd all failed. We couldn't find the Fire Lord, I couldn't get through to my sister, and now our friends and family would all be imprisoned by the Fire Nation.

Would we ever win?

**Third Person POV**

Zuko thrust his hand forward shooting more fire into the furnace on the hot air balloon he was in. He scowled as he recalled the conversation he'd had with his father. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Everything Amber had said was true. Everything he was told from his dad in the past had been a lie.

Zuko had stormed into the Fire Lord's secret chamber about thirty minutes ago, his swords drawn ready to talk to his father and get the truth. The Fire Lord had been seated on a pedestal cross legged, and when he saw his son enter he scowled. The eclipse had already started so he couldn't attack his son. "Why are you here?"

Zuko held his ground and pointed his sword at his father. "I'm here to tell the truth."

His father grinned. "Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." He called his guards away who were on alert when they saw the prince who was brandishing swords. They left the room in obedience.

Zuko spoke again, "First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."

His father looked surprised. "Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived."

The Fire Lord looked alarmed. "What?"

Zuko smirked. "In fact, he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on us right now."

He stood and pointed a finger at Zuko with rage. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you."

Zuko stood his ground and pointed his sword at the Fire Lord. "That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore!"

He stepped toward Zuko looking ready to kill. "You will obey me or this defiant breathe will be your last!"

Zuko held his swords farther out as if telling his father to come any closer. "Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen."

The Fire Lord went to argue again, but realized he had no choice but to sit down and shut up. Zuko lowered his swords a bit and prepared to get the information he wanted out of his father.

"I learned a lot during the three years I was banished. I learned who to trust and who not to trust. I learned about loyalty, family, and love. I learned about myself and what I truly wanted. For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn." He gritted his teeth as he continued. "My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

His father spat, "It was to teach you respect."

"It was cruel! And it was wrong!"

"Then you have learned nothing!"

Zuko shook his head. "No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."

His father looked amused. "Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko shook his head. "No… Amber has."

The Fire Lord glared daggers at Zuko. "How dare you mention that name in here? I've mourned enough over your sister."

Zuko scowled. "Oh. Have you? Tell me something… When you found out my sister was actually alive, what were the feelings going through you. Were they relief and elation knowing your little girl was alive, or were they fear and uncertainty? I know what they were… You were afraid that Amber would come back here. You were afraid that she would tell the whole nation you tried to have her killed when she was a child. Admit it! Admit that you tried to have my sister killed!"

"Yes," The Fire Lord hissed. "If you want the truth, then yes. I did try to have your sister killed. I ordered that stupid man Zhao to snatch her from the palace and dump her in the South Pole's waters. That oaf was too weak to fulfill his duties, and so that freak of a child escaped. I wish every day I had been the one to just end that creature's life. To burn her with my own hands!"

Zuko couldn't believe it. Amber had told the truth. His father was the one who ordered her kidnapping and death. His father was the one that took Amber from him. "You monster! She was just a six year old girl!"

"She was half spirit! A freak! I would not allow her to overthrow me in the future!"

Zuko stopped breathing. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew! Ursa told me everything! The baby was dying, and she had to save the runt, so to do so she turned the creep into a half spirit child! I know everything!" The Fire Lord stood with malice toward his son. "And you know what. I'm ecstatic that your sister is truly dead! If only your mom was dead too! I could've knock two birds off with one stone!"

"Mom… What happened that night?!" Zuko asked, his grip on his swords tightening.

His father snarled. "My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. Your mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. Your Mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

Zuko was in shock. His mom was alive. His mom was actually alive. "She's alive."

"Sadly," his father hissed. "No fear though son. Your punishment will be the same fate as Amber's."

His father jumped forward then and shot lightening at Zuko. Zuko dropped his swords and managed to stick his fingers out just in time. Lightening coursed through him and went out his other hand shooting back at his father. While his dad was blown back, Zuko grabbed his swords and took off.

After Zuko escaped his father he had run to the Fire Nation prison hold to go free his uncle. His uncle had already escaped though, and so Zuko left and ran back outside to find a way to escape. He managed to find the war chamber in the palace where the hot air balloons were and steal one. Now he was following behind the giant flying air bison in the sky.

Sighing, Zuko plopped down on the floor of the hot air balloon basket. Hanging his head, he said softly, "I'm sorry Amber… I'm sorry for not believing you. I'm going to make things right though. I will avenge your death by taking down our father once and for all."

He stared out across the sky at the beast flying ahead of him. He hoped Amber's friends would listen to what he had to say. He hoped they'd accept him. He wanted a second chance.

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><p><strong>AN: So that was the chapter! Let me know what you guys thought. Next chapter is Amber and Zuko's reunion. ;)**


	13. A Second Chance

**Here's the next chapter and it's a long one! Thanks for the reviews! You guys all rock!**

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><p>"How much farther do you think it is, Aang?"<p>

The sun was hot on all of our skin, and I felt sweat bead down my forehead. We were walking on a dry terrain, and all we saw in front of us was more and more dirt. There were no clouds in the sky to relieve the heat beating down on all of us. At that moment I wished the Spirit of Fire could control more than just fire. It would've been nice to take some heat out of the sun.

Aang pondered over what I asked him, and I saw he was as tired as the rest of us. Kale was helping to push Teo's chair along. Haru and The Duke were walking behind Teo looking defeated and hanging their heads. Sokka looked heartbroken still from the battle we had lost. Katara looked exhausted and Toph looked uncomfortable as her feet hit the hot dirt.

"I say another mile or so. We have to be getting close."

Sighing, I felt Momo land on my shoulder and I patted the little flying lemur. "There will be trees right? So far all I see is more and more dirt."

Aang looked back at me with a smile. "Yeah! You guys will love it!"

After a moment more of walking, I heard Katara suddenly say, "This is humiliating."

Sokka asked annoyed, "Do you mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation, or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?"

We'd been flying through the night and into the morning. Eventually Appa got tired by noon and we had no choice but to walk. All the armor and weight was too much for the poor guy to handle. We'd been walking for a good two hours, and all of us were ready for a good night's sleep. We'd only stopped for four hours to rest before we started up again.

Katara answered Sokka's question. "Both."

Aang spoke again. "Sorry guys, but Appa gets tired carrying all these people." He pat the furry fella with understanding and Appa groaned.

"It could be worse," Kale muttered.

Toph asked, "How so?"

He answered with pain. "We could be imprisoned like the other warriors."

We all hung our heads knowing Kale was right. Dad, Bato, Kuro, Coal, Teo's dad, Tyro, and all the other warriors were probably being shoved into prisons as we spoke. My thoughts pictured father being shoved into a cell. I pictured him being stripped of his armor and fed filthy food. Tears filled my eyes. Who knew what dad was going through at the moment…

"I wonder how the rest of the troops are," Teo said softly.

Haru said with agony, "They're probably on their way to a prison. Seems like my dad just got out, now he's going back in."

"We'll get them all back," I said, trying to keep hope alive. "We just have to keep up the fight."

The Duke completely ignored what I said and whined, "I miss Pipsqueak."

"I miss not having blisters on my feet," Sokka muttered.

We walked a bit more, and I noticed something in the distance. There was green forest, and it was very lush. It also felt a little cooler the closer we got, and I wondered if maybe we were nearing our destination. We eventually reached the end of the land we were walking on, and saw the earth was split a good sixty feet from the lush green in front of us.

Toph spoke up then, and she sounded relieved. "Hey, we're here. I can feel it."

We all looked around for an air temple but found none. What was Toph seeing that we weren't seeing? We reached the edge of the cliff looking around, but we saw absolutely nothing but a very far drop. You could barely see the bottom of the trench we'd arrived at, but from what you could see there was a river flowing at the very bottom.

Katara looked around bewildered. "Uh, Toph… I think your feet need their eyes checked."

"No," Aang suddenly said. "She's right. We are here." I looked at him bewildered. He was beaming with delight, and I saw he too was relieved. Immediately I shot Sokka a look of disbelief, and he looked back at me shrugging not having a clue what they were talking about.

Toph spoke again. "It's amazing!"

Kale stepped forward, saying, "What? What's amazing?! We don't see anything!"

Aang looked over at everyone in the group. We were all oblivious to what was going on. All of us except Aang and Toph. He said, "You guys aren't looking at the right place. The air temple is below us, built underneath the cliff."

"So we really did make it?" I asked. Aang nodded. A huge sigh of relief escaped me. Softly, I said, "Well at least something's going right."

Aang told us we needed to hop back on Appa and fly down to the temple below. Toph once again helped to get Teo back on Appa, and everyone else quickly loaded on. Taking flight, we were also glad to be off our feet for a moment. The blisters on my own feet were practically screaming in pain.

We flew off the cliff and down below. My eye widened when the temple came into view. The temple looked like it was made upside down on the cliffs hang, and it looked very old and sacred. The temple almost appeared like it hadn't faced any fire benders wrath. I supposed fire benders would've had a hard time even getting to the temple in the first place.

As we flew closer to the temples square, I saw the air nomads had created the floor of the temple completely out of painted stone. It was beautiful, holding unique designs that I had never even seen before. The hanging buildings could all be accessed by stair, and even the statues that were carved into the cliff could be accessed by stairs carved in the cliff.

"Wow… This is amazing," I said.

Kale said, "The air nomads continue to surprise me."

Aang beamed at our comments. "Glad you like it!" He then explained, "This was the temple where the female air benders lived. We would visit here on certain occasions and the girls were always so nice." He frowned as his memories took him away, and I felt sorry for him. This must've been hard, seeing such a beautiful temple with no one living in it.

Appa landed on a stone platform that was jutting out from the side of the cliff. Air temple buildings hung above us, and there were three walkways that led to other parts of the temple. In the very middle of the platform we landed on there was a giant fountain that still had water in it. The water was steadily flowing from the fountain to the end of the platform where it fell over making a waterfall. There were also four pillars at the largest walkway, and each pillar had air nomad symbols on them.

Toph hopped off, and then she quickly came back with some earth from the platform to help Teo down. Once Teo was down the rest of us quickly slid off of Appa. While everyone looked around the temple with excitement, I walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down. It looked like a very far drop.

Teo spoke, his voice echoing around us. "It's so different from the Northern Air Temple. I wonder if there are any secret rooms."

Haru suddenly exclaimed, "Let's go check it out!" Looking over, I saw he, Teo, and The Duke were excited by the thought of exploring the temple. Aang was too. They started to run off and Aang ran after them.

Quickly I said, "Aang! Stop!"

He came to a halt and looked at me with question. Katara walked over to Aang placing a hand on his shoulder. She looked at the other kids straight faced. "You guys go..." She glanced at Aang who was pouting. "I think we need to talk about some things." The kids ran off to explore, leaving Aang disappointed.

Walking back over, I saw Kale, Sokka, and Toph approached Aang and Katara too. We had to discuss what to do now since our original plan didn't work. The war was still happening, and we needed to think about our next step.

Aang whined, "Why can't I go?"

Katara answered, "We need to decide what we're gonna do now. And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this."

Aang sighed. He walked across the platform and we followed him. There were three stone benches where he was walking, and they were in a semicircle. Aang walked over to one plopped down. "Fair enough. So, what's the new plan?"

We all sat on the benches as well, although Toph plopped down on a stone column that looked to have been broken for years.

Sokka spoke with determination. "Well, if you ask me, the new plan is the old plan. You just need to master all four elements, and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

Aang looked uneasy. "Oh, yeah, that's great." He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the air nonchalantly. "No problem, I'll just do that." He laid the pebble on the bench and flicked it away. I saw he didn't really like the plan.

Katara spoke, sad to see Aang so down. "Aang… No one said it would be easy."

Aang scowled. "Well, it's not even gonna be possible. Where am I supposed to get a fire bending teacher?"

Well that felt like a slap in the face. "What am I, chopped liver?"

The group looked at me, but Aang stood and pointed at me with hard eyes. "Last time you trained me you could barely stand on two feet!"

Standing up too, I snapped, "That was a long time ago when I was still injured! I'm fine now!"

Aang crossed his arms. "No! I'm not going to learn fire bending from you!" He grabbed his glider and started to walk away.

I scowled. "Aang! You're being ridiculous! I can teach you!"

He ignored me and continued walking. I went to go after him but Kale stopped me. He grabbed my arm, saying, "Stop… Aang's going to continue to be stubborn. Just let him go. There's no need to butt heads at one another." I took in a hard breath trying to calm down. Aang was being stupid. He knew I was more than capable of fire bending now. He'd seen me do it fine over the last few weeks. Why wasn't he letting me teach him?

Toph was bewildered by Aang's reaction. "What's up with him?"

Sokka sighed. "There's got to be some way to knock some sense into him."

Katara said, "Just give him some time to cool off. Maybe he'll come to his senses soon."

I took Kale's hand off of my arm and calmed down coming to my own senses. "Maybe we all just need a good night's sleep."

"Before we get settled," Sokka suddenly said. "We need volunteers to go gather fire wood and supplies."

Quickly I volunteered wanting to get away from my thoughts for a little bit, which led Kale to volunteer too. Sokka decided to go as well. We decided we'd wait an hour before we went on our little quest through the forest though, since Appa looked really tired. While the hour went by, we managed to help remove Appa's armor, and he groaned in relief when the heavy metal was off of him.

Patting Appa on the side of his head, I smiled. "You did good boy. You helped us get out of there." Appa groaned as if to tell me you're welcome.

When the hour was up, we loaded back on Appa who looked more rested than before. We flew him back up the cliff and found the sun still shining brightly above. It was a lot cooler below the cliff than above, but at least the closer we got to the forest the cooler it was on that side of the cliffs. Appa landed in the shade of the first few trees of the forest and plopped down tiredly. He was going to take a nap until we got back.

Sokka handed Kale and I packs to carry food and other supplies in. "Stay together," Sokka said. "We don't know anything about this place."

Kale nodded, taking his pack and slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's get going. We need to get what we can before the sun starts to set."

Sokka nodded. "We just have to be careful not to get any poisonous fruits. I'm not familiar with foreign foods."

"I know a few things," Kale said. "I read a lot growing up."

"Nerd," Sokka muttered.

Kale glared at him, and Sokka looked away pretending he hadn't said anything.

"Come on," I said. We headed deeper into the forest and started gathering food and sticks. We put the sticks in Kale's pack, and we put the food in Sokka and I's. As we started looking for fruit, berries, nuts, and whatever else was edible, I spotted some berries a little farther from where Sokka and Kale were searching.

"I'm going to look over there," I told them. Sokka and Kale didn't hear me. They were arguing over a berry they'd picked up, trying to figure out if it was poisoned or not. It wasn't. I'd read about it in one of the books my dad had given me. Leaving them to argue over the berry, I walked through the forest toward the bush in the distance. Reaching the blue berries, I examined them carefully to make sure they weren't poisoned. When I was certain they were harmless, I started to pick them and place them in my pack.

The sun was starting to lower, and by that point I'd managed to pick more fruits I found. Turning, I noticed Kale and Sokka were really far from me. I could still vaguely see their shapes through the trees though, so I knew where they were. Beginning to head back, I froze when I heard something.

"Uh...so, the thing is, I have a lot of fire bending experience, and I'm considered to be pretty good at it." The voice was near, but I didn't see who it belonged to. Dropping my pack, I crept through the forest toward the voice ahead of me. "Well, you've seen me... you know, when I was attacking you? Uh, yeah...I guess I should apologize for that. But anyway," I crept a bit closer and stayed behind a bush peaking over. There was a hot air balloon sitting on the ground, and the balloon was deflated sprawled across the forest. "I'm good now. I mean, I thought I was good before, but now I realize I was bad." Looking past the hot air balloon, my eyes widened. Zuko was pacing back and forth, and he looked troubled as he tried to figure some things out. "Ugh, but anyway... I think it's time I joined your group, and taught the Avatar fire bending."

Zuko! What was Zuko doing here?

He wore his peasant clothing again, and his hair was down showing it had grown out a lot. It was messy but looked good on him. He looked well, and he looked like he was no longer working for the Fire Lord. He'd seen the error of his ways!

I couldn't believe it! I had to go talk to him! I had to-

A hand covered my mouth suddenly and I gasped as I was pulled back away from Zuko into the forest. I struggled trying to escape the person holding me back. We got back far enough so we weren't in ear shot of Zuko.

"What is he doing here?" I heard Kale hiss.

Yanking from Kale, I turned to him with wide eyes. "You scared the agni out of me! What are you doing?"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Zuko. "Stopping you from getting hurt again! We need to tell the others immediately."

My heart stopped. We couldn't tell the others. If we told the others they'd attack Zuko and send him off. They wouldn't listen to me if I tried to explain that Zuko was sorry for everything he had done.

"No!" I snapped. "We can't! They'll go after him!"

Kale looked at me with bewilderment. "They need to know!"

"No they don't!" I said, eager to keep my older brother's whereabouts a secret. "Please Kale… Please don't tell them. I don't want them hurting Zuko."

He seemed unsure, but after staring into my eyes hard he finally dropped his gaze and looked away. "Fine… But he better keep his distance or I'll be the one to personally attack him."

I sighed with relief. He pulled me away from Zuko again, saying, "Come on. Sokka's worried about you."

We headed back to my pack and I picked it up with a heavy heart. I wanted to talk to Zuko so much, but I knew Kale and the others wouldn't allow it. They despised Zuko for everything he did back in Ba Sing Sei. They hated him for hurting me and for going back to the Fire Lord. They'd never let me close to him, because they were all too afraid he'd hurt me again.

Eventually we got back to Sokka who was relieved to see me. "I told you to stay together," Sokka said.

"I told you I was leaving. You should've listened," I said.

Kale seemed like he wanted to say something, and I shot him a pleading look begging him not to tell on Zuko. He sighed and said, "At least we found her. Let's head back before the others worry. We have enough food to last a week or so."

We eventually got back to Appa, and we took off once more back down the cliff. When we returned to the air temple platform the others greeted us wanting to know what we found. While Katara separated the fruits, nuts, and other supplies into bowls she must've found in the air temple, I helped light the camp fire.

The fire lit up the area as the sun started to set. "Hey Amber… Can you go grab some clean water?"

Katara handed me a pot to do so. I nodded and left the group on the platform they were still on. Walking across the largest of the three bridges, I headed to another platform where the pump for water was. The air nomads were really smart thinkers. Pouring the water into the pot with the lever, I cut the water off and started to head back to the others.

Reaching the bridge, I was just getting to the giant columns when I saw something in the distance. It was Zuko, and he was standing beside Appa on the platform. The others were standing across the platform from him, and they all looked ready to fight. None of them could see me from where I stood behind the column.

Zuko tried to speak. "I know you must be surprised to see me here."

Sokka scowled. "Not really, since you've followed us all over the world."

Sweat beaded down my forehead as I watched the interaction from the distance.

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortable. "Right... Well, uh... anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach fire bending... to you." Aang lowered his staff looking puzzled by Zuko's words. "See, I uh..."

Toph cut him off rather sharply and as disbelieving as the others. "You want to what now?"

My sister shouted, "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are? After everything you've done to us! Everything you did to Amber!"

"Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang. Not to mention you stabbed Amber in the back when we were in Ba Sing Sei!"

Sokka's words sent an agonized expression on Zuko's face. He hung his head in utter guilt. I went to take a step, but stopped unsure what to do.

"I've done some good things." He stepped forward recovering from his pain. Confidently he said "I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Sei, but I set him free." He threw both of his hands up to make his point. "That's something."

Appa groaned and nudged Zuko with his nose in a friendly way. It took me off guard. I still stood behind the column unsure if I should make myself seen or not. It might be too much on Zuko all at once. He'd probably think he's seeing a ghost.

Toph spoke again. "Appa does seem to like him."

Sokka scowled pointing his boomerang at Zuko. "He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it!"

Zuko looked down with shame. "I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past."

Sokka snapped, "Like when you attacked our village?"

Katara added, "Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?"

Zuko spoke again. "Look, I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong," he pressed his hand to his temple in guilt and continued, "to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe." My siblings, Kale, Aang, and Toph weren't looking convinced. " And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm gonna try to stop him."

"Wait!" Kale shouted, stepping forward with fury. "You sent that psycho head shooter after us!"

My eyes widened. No… Zuko… Why?

Sokka snapped. "You sent Combustion man?!"

Zuko looked taken off guard. "Well, that's not his name, but..."

Sokka growled. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friend."

My oldest brother stood his ground. "He's not my friend!"

Toph cried, "That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up."

I noticed something then. None of them were letting on that I was alive. Were they trying to keep me a secret? Sokka looked straight at me, surprised to see me hidden at the column. He quickly whispered something to Toph. I took a step forward but gasped when the ground shook under me. The earth shot up around me encasing me in a box of earth. A very strong box of earth. It was just like back when we were with General Fong and he took me captive to force Aang into the Avatar state. The pot I was carrying dropped splashing water everywhere. Toph locked me in so I couldn't intervene.

"Toph!" I shouted, smashing on the box. It was dark and tight, so I had a little trouble moving. My voice echoed back at me and I assumed no one could hear it outside. She wasn't going to let me show myself or be heard. Pressing my ear to the earth, I could hear the shouts from the other side. Zuko's voice was muted through the stone, but I could hear him.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" He must've been talking to Aang. "You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me!"

There was a pause. I held my breath as I pressed my ear harder to the stone trying to hear. Please Aang… Please listen…

Finally, Aang shouted. "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us!"

No!

Katara snapped, "You need to get out of here, now."

Kale shouted, "Go! You've done enough damage Zuko!"

Despair could be heard in Zuko's voice. "I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!"

"Either you leave, or we attack," Sokka ordered.

"If you won't accept me as a friend then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner," Zuko said, desperate for my family to take him in. He had nowhere else to go.

Katara snapped, "No! We won't! Especially not after everything you did to Amber!" There was the sound of water smashing into something and a grunt. Then Katara shouted again, "Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again...Well, we'd better not see you again!"

Tears fell down my cheeks as silence fell around me. Lighting a flame, I smashed into the earth wall but the fire shot back at me making me cough from the hot smoke. "Toph!" I shouted, smashing against the box. "Let me out!" I kicked and slapped hard for a good minute, coughing as more smoke flew through my nostrils. I learned that shooting fire in a tight space wasn't very wise.

The box dropped then and I fell forward on the ground with a gasp. Smoke flew up around me from my previous fire. Coughing, I tried to get smoke out of my lungs.

"Sorry, Amber… Sokka told me to," Toph said, and I looked up to see she had walked over. She held her hand out for me to take, but I ignored it getting to my feet on my own. Looking around, I saw Zuko was gone and the others were looking over at me knowing I was about to explode. My feet were soaked from the water I'd dropped all over me.

Stomping around the column over to them, I snapped, "You should've let me see him!"

Sokka shook his head. "No! Last thing we need is you trying to convince us he's changed!"

"He has changed! He's trying to get a second chance! You all are being cruel!"

"We're being cruel," Katara cried. "He's been nothing but trouble since we met him at the South Pole! He's done more cruel things to us than we'll ever be able to do to him."

I scowled. "Zuko's done nothing to us! He's never once burned any of you, and he hasn't killed anyone yet. He helped me and Aang escape from Zhao, and he did set Appa free from Ba Sing Sei! He helped us fight Azula in the desert too! He isn't bad! He's just hurting and troubled!"

Sokka growled. "He sent an assassin after us! What do you have to say to that?"

I went to snap again, but I stopped. Tears fell down my cheeks and I hung my head knowing Sokka was right. I was a little frustrated myself about the assassin thing.

Katara directed the conversation away from me, pretty much not wanting my input anymore. "I'm going to start supper. Kale, can you go round up Haru and the other two?" Kale nodded, but I saw him look at me with concern before he walked away.

Katara went toward the campfire that was still lit. Scowling again, I said, "I'm going to go find Zuko."

Turning sharply, I went to leave but Sokka stepped in my path. "I can't let you do that."

"Move Sokka," I hissed.

He shook his head. "No… I'm not letting you go." He looked behind me at Aang. "She doesn't leave this temple tonight."

I growled. "You can't do that! Zuko needs me!"

Sokka grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to him with hard eyes. "No… I need you to keep your head. You're crazy if you think seeing Zuko is a good idea."

I tried to push him off but he was quick. Grabbing my hand, he twisted it behind my back making me cry out in pain. "Let go!" I kicked at him but he forced me to walk away from the direction Zuko had gone. Toph and Aang were unsure what to say or do as I continued to struggle in my brothers hold. He could restrain me because he knew I didn't want to burn him. He had the advantage, and I had no choice but to walk.

"LET GO!"I cried, kicking back at him. He dodged my kick continuing to push me along.

He shoved me over to where the campfire was and forced me to sit down. Katara watched with sorry eyes. "Amber… It's for your own good."

I ignored her hanging my head in defeat. Sokka let me go when he saw I was no longer fighting him. The others were back, and Teo, Haru, and The Duke had no clue what was going. Kale walked back over but I looked away from everyone hurt that they wouldn't let me go. I understood that they were trying to protect me, but I wanted to see Zuko more than anything. I needed to let him know I was alive.

As supper was passed around to everyone, I shoved my food away in a bad mood. Everyone kept their eyes from looking over at me, probably because they didn't like the tension. When they finished eating, they all got ready for bed. Haru, Teo, and The Duke ran off to find rooms of their own in the air temples. The rest of us laid out sleeping bags in a semi-circle. We could've had a room of our own too, but I guess we were so used to being with each other by now having our own rooms was just weird.

Quickly I slid into my sleeping bag too mad at the others to even wish them goodnight. While I shut my eyes and pretended to sleep, I heard the others talk after a few minutes passed.

"Now that Amber's asleep," Katara said softly. "Why would Zuko try to fool us like that?"

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap," Sokka muttered.

"This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother, and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings."

A tear escaped me as I heard Katara's words. He was a human being… Why couldn't they just see that?

Sokka snapped, "He wants you to trust him and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down, then he strikes. That's what happened to Amber, and in the end we almost lost her."

But you didn't lose me! And Zuko is very sorry for all of that!

A sigh came from Katara. "The thing is, it worked. I did feel sorry for him. I felt like he was really confused and hurt. But obviously when the time came, he made his choice, and we paid the price. We can't trust him."

I gritted my teeth. They weren't being fair. They just needed to give him a chance.

Aang's voice echoed then. "I kind of have a confession to make. Amber was right when she said Zuko helped us escape from Zhao. Remember when you two were sick and I saved Amber after she got captured by Zhao?"

Sokka muttered, "And you made us suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget? I had a wart on the flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month!"

Katara sighed. "Sokka, I looked at it and told you there was nothing there."

"I could feel it! It's my throatal flap."

Aang brushed Sokka's crazy worry aside. "Anyway, when Zhao had Amber chained up it was Zuko who went in and helped her escape. I came after they were already outside trying to get out of the massive fortress. It was Zuko who helped both Amber and I get out of there alive."

Katara scowled, "He probably did it because he thought you were the one who had been captured. When he saw his sister he had no choice but to help her. He helped you two escape thinking he could probably capture you in the process."

Sokka said, "Yeah Aang. Face it. You're nothing but a big prize to him."

I shut my eyes tighter wishing Katara and Sokka would stop being so hard on my brother. Zuko did have a good heart!

"Yeah. I guess you're right," Aang softly said.

No! They're wrong! They're very wrong!

"And what was all that crazy stuff about setting Appa free? What a liar. I can't believe he had Amber falling for it too," Katara said.

Toph spoke up for the first time then. "Actually… He wasn't lying."

Sokka scoffed. "Oh, hooray. In a lifetime of evil, at least he didn't add animal cruelty to the list."

"I'm just saying that considering his messed-up family, and how he was raised, he could've turned out a lot worse," Toph said.

I frowned as I thought about what Toph said. Our family was really messed up, and I was lucky to have only suffered in it for six years.

Katara sarcastically said, "You're right, Toph, let's go find him and give him a medal. The "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" award!"

Kale spoke up then, and I'd almost forgotten he was here. "I'm not happy with Zuko anymore than the rest of you guys. However, I have to save some of the guy's dignity. He isn't that bad when you really get to know him. He was kind to his uncle, and he was always protective of Amber. He just made the wrong choice in the end."

Toph spoke again. "All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly." I heard footsteps as Toph started to walk away. "Amber has the right idea. We need to give Zuko a second chance."

Katara snapped, "Easy for you to say, you weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates!"

"Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island," Sokka spat.

Aang also added, "Or when he tried to capture me at the fire temple!"

Katara asked, "Why would you even try to defend him?"

Toph stood her ground. "First, because you've all hurt Amber enough tonight!" The group fell silent. "However it's mainly because you're all ignoring one crucial fact. Aang needs a fire bending teacher since he's being stupid and not letting Amber teach him. We can't think of a single other person in the world to do the job. Now one shows up on a silver platter, and you won't even think about it? Amber has the right idea, and you all are being stupid! All of you!"

Aang yelled, "I'm not having Zuko as my teacher!"

Did they even care if I was asleep? I guess not, but I kept pretending.

"You're darn right you're not, buddy," Sokka said to Aang.

Katara said with finality, "Well I guess that's settled."

Toph began to stomp away but stopped. "I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here." She paused, and then said, "By the way… Amber's been awake the whole time, so congratulations on making her feel even more like crap!" Toph stomped away then, and I wished she hadn't told the group I was awake. Now they'd apologize.

A silence fell over the group, and I pulled my sleeping bag over my head not wanting any of them to speak to me. I was too irritated with them all. They were all being stubborn. It seemed the only one even close to being on my side was Toph.

"Amber… We," Katara began but stopped, realizing she didn't know what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

"Just leave me alone," I said, more tears falling down my cheeks.

The group fell silent then. Time passed by as they silently lied down and began to fall asleep. While they drifted, I waited until I was sure they were all asleep. When I heard none of them wrestling with their sleeping bags, and Sokka's snores, I got out of my sleeping bag. I would go see Zuko. They couldn't stop me.

Creeping through the air temple, I made my way over to a bridge that led to another platform. Telling myself not to look down at the dark abyss below, I made my way across the bridge and finally reached the platform I was headed toward. The moon lit my path as I started to climb up the stone steps that led to the top of the cliff above.

When I finally reached the top of the cliff, I made my way back into the woods not letting anyone stop me this time from seeing Zuko. I would show him I was alive. He had to see I was alive. Heading toward the direction I had walked before, I stumbled here and there on roots and sticks but managed to not fall to my relief.

As I walked some more, I was just reaching the bush I had previously been at when I heard someone walk up behind me. "Going somewhere?"

Turning, I gasped swinging my fist at the intruder. Kale dodged my attack and jumped back looking amused. Quickly I caught my breath, and then narrowed my eyes, "Kale! Stop scaring me!"

He smirked. "You're too gullible." He then turned serious. "You're going to see Zuko, aren't you?"

I scowled. "Don't try to stop me. I have to do this."

Kale frowned. "I'm not trying to stop you from anything. I just want you to think about this. Are you really sure Zuko's changed?"

He took me a bit off guard. He wasn't going to try and stop me. Well thank goodness for that. Thinking about his question, I looked off in the direction of Zuko's camp. "I know he's changed," I finally said. "He wants to help us more than anything. He feels terrible for what he did back in Ba Sing Sei."

Kale sighed. "Alright… We'll go to him and bring him back with us. Maybe we can convince the group together that they should give him a chance."

My eyes widened and I looked at Kale surprised. "You're going to help me?"

He nodded. "I still don't like the idea of Zuko being anywhere near you, but I could see earlier how sorry he was. We do need to give him a second chance."

I beamed, delighted Kale was on my side. Running forward I threw my arms around him glad someone else was vouching for me. He hugged me close to him too, and he said, "Sorry for not taking your side earlier. I just don't want you getting hurt again."

"I won't," I promised. "Zuko has changed. I know he-"

A cry of pain rang through the forest suddenly, and we gasped turning in the direction of where Zuko was camped at. "Was that…?"

"Yeah… It was," Kale said.

We took off toward the direction of the cry, both of us concerned that Toph was seriously hurt. When we found her she was on the forest floor crawling blindly on the ground. She looked in pain, and tears were pouring down her cheeks.

"Toph!" I cried, running over to her and kneeling at her side.

She was surprised to hear me. "Princess?"

"Toph, what happened?" Kale asked, coming over too.

Toph winced again in pain, and fell on the ground. Quickly I helped her up to sit down. "It was an accident… I was just going to talk to him, and I spooked him." I lit a flame to light up the air near Toph's feet and gasped. Her feet were terribly blistered by fire, and I could only imagine how much pain she was in.

I couldn't believe it. "Zuko did this?"

"No… Don't blame him. He felt really bad about it. It was my fault for startling him."

Her feet were hot, and I wondered if I could take some of the heat out to cool them off a bit. "We have to get you back to Katara. Until we do I can remove some of the heat."

She was amazed. "Remove the heat?"

Nodding, I cut my flame off and placed my hands on the bottom of her feet. She hissed in pain, but I managed to draw the heat from her skin which made her sigh in relief. "That's great Princess… You're a miracle worker."

"We need to get her back to the temple," Kale said. He looked over at me with sorry eyes. "I think you should try another time Amber."

I hung my head. "You're right… Let's get going. We have to get Toph to the others." Guess I wouldn't see Zuko tonight. My friend was my top priority.

"Glad you snuck out to come here tonight," Toph said to me. "I would've had to crawl blindly the whole way back."

Kale bent down so Toph could get on his back and he could carry her to the temple. Helping Toph on Kale's back, he stood as if she barely weighed a thing. She held on to his shoulders, her face burning with embarrassment. Kale started walking, and I followed behind him hanging my head as we walked away from Zuko. That was the second time I tried to see Zuko, and I failed again.

"Why were you going to see Zuko anyway?" Kale asked.

Toph said, "I thought I could convince him to come back and try again. The others are being stupid. Zuko would be a great asset to the group. Plus I was starting to feel bad for Amber too."

I sighed. "He still has no clue I'm even alive."

"Now the group may never let you show him you are," Toph said with guilt.

We walked some more, and after an hour or so Kale needed a break. It was a much longer walk than before. Kale sat Toph on a log and plopped down against a tree to take a breather. While he did that I managed to find us all some clean water and catch it in some bark. Everyone sipped the water thirstily, and I looked up to see the moon was beginning to lower in the sky.

"Another sleepless night," I said.

Toph sighed. "Yeah. I'm more in pain than tired though. At least my feet aren't on fire anymore. Their just stinging like crazy."

"We'll be back soon," Kale promised.

"Maybe we could lie and say I burned you," I muttered.

Toph shook her head. "They wouldn't believe that."

I knew she was right.

We set out again, Kale pulling Toph back on his back. As we headed back, Toph spoke up again, "Sorry I told everyone you were awake earlier, Princess. I was just so irritated with them that I wanted to make them feel guilty."

I shrugged. "No big deal… I'm glad you were on my side at least. Just stop trapping me in earth. It happens to me way too often."

"Like I said: Sokka told me to."

We made it back to the temple just as the sun began to rise. It had been a long tiring night, especially for Kale. We carefully made our way down the stone steps that led to the bridge of the platform below the cliff. We eventually made it to flat ground and headed back to where the others were still asleep. When we got back though, we saw that they were actually awake. The sun was just breaking over the horizon.

Sokka stomped over to all three of us looking furious. "Where have you guys been?! We've been worried si-" He stopped talking when he saw Toph on Kale's back. "What happened to you?!"

The rest of the group ran over to us. Haru, Teo, and the Duke were there too. Kale carried Toph over to the fountain in the center of the platform and sat her down. She quickly dipped her feet in the water sighing with relief. "My feet got burned."

Katara cried, "Oh no! What happened?" She walked over to Toph and forced her to show her raw feet. She cringed at the blisters.

Toph looked irritated. "I just told you. My feet got burned."

Katara started to heal Toph's feet with some water from the fountain. "I meant how?"

I rubbed my arm. "Would anyone believe that I did it?"

The group looked at me for a moment, but then they looked away back at Toph for the real story. Guess they didn't believe it.

Toph sighed. "Well, I kind of went to see Zuko last night."

Aang was shocked, "You what?!"

Katara was astonished, "Zuko?"

Sokka looked annoyed, "Urgh!"

"I just thought he could be helpful to us. And if I talked to him, maybe we could work something out," Toph weakly said.

Aang snapped, "So he attacked you?"

Toph shrugged. "Well, he did and he didn't. It was sort of an accident."

Aang became serious. "But he did fire bend at you?"

Toph hung her head. "Yes."

My sister pulled away from Toph's feet snapping, "See! You trusted Zuko and you got burned… Literally! Just like Amber!"

"She said it was an accident," I said. "He was just startled."

Sokka pointed a finger at me. "I've startled you plenty of times and you never burned me!"

I crossed my arms. "That's not true!"

"Okay, name one time!" Sokka ordered.

I was stumped. I couldn't think of one. I hung my head again not sure what to say. Sokka almost seemed pleased that I had no answer.

Katara continued healing Toph's feet. "Well, it's gonna take a while for your feet to get better. I wish I could've worked on them sooner."

Toph said, "Amber helped a little. She removed the heat at least." Everyone was bewildered by this, and they quickly looked at me with question. I looked away not really wanting to explain.

"Well… Me and the others are going to explore the temple some more," Teo suddenly said, deciding he wasn't being much help anyway. "Glad you're okay Toph!" He rolled his chair away and The Duke and Haru followed.

A silence fell over us then, and I saw everyone wasn't sure what to say. Finally Sokka crossed his arms. "Zuko's clearly too dangerous to be left alone. We're gonna have to go after him."

My eyes widened. What?

Aang hung his head. "I hate to go looking for a fight, but you're right. After what he did to Toph, I don't think we have a choice."

"What? Wait!" I tried but they continued.

"He's crafty, but we'll find a way to capture him," Sokka said.

"No!" I cried. "Stop!"

They all continued to ignore me. All except Kale who seemed unsure if he should jump in or not.

Toph spoke again. "Maybe just invite him back here. He's already offered himself up as a prisoner once."

Sokka beamed. "Yeah... get him to come back and say he'll be our prisoner. Then we'll jump him and really make him our prisoner. He'll never suspect it!"

"Wait a minute!" The group jumped and looked at me finally hearing me. With narrowed eyes I snapped, "No one is jumping my brother! It was an accident! Aang burned Katara in the past and you didn't jump him! Don't touch Zuko!"

Katara stood and looked at me with hard eyes. "Don't do this again Amber. There's five against one on this."

"Actually four against two. I agree with Amber. We can't just jump him," Kale said.

The group began to argue and debate, and I scowled crossing my arms annoyed. If they thought I was going to let them hurt Zuko they were crazy.

A very hot heat source suddenly appeared behind me. A gasp escaped me as I recognized the familiar flame. Turning my head with terror, I looked across the break between the two cliffs. Standing on a platform that belonged to some old temple ruins placed on the side of the cliff was Combustion Man, and he stared at us with determination.

"Everyone! Get to cover!" I shouted. The group looked at me like I was crazy, but I pointed toward the man with the steel boot and their eyes widened. He sneered down at us, ready to attack. Narrowing my eyes, I suddenly felt determined. I was ready to end Combustion Man once and for all.

Running forward, I stood my ground as a hard blast of fire was shot at us. Holding my hands out, I blocked the flame and slid back a bit but managed to keep my footing. Then shoving my hand forward, I shot a blast back at the man and he darted to the side causing where he once stood to break and fall down into the deep below.

I went to fire again, but stopped. Someone else had appeared on the platform the tall giant stood on, and I watched with horror. "Stop!" Zuko grabbed onto the man's arm trying to stop him from firing at us. We all were watching now with shock. Sokka had gone to get Toph to safety, but when he heard my eldest brother he was watching Zuko amazed. "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore."

The man went to fire again, but Zuko got in his way. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop!" He shoved Zuko to the side like he was a fly. I had to get up there and help. "If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" Combustion Man grabbed Zuko by the shirt. Zuko threw a fireball but missed and continued to struggle in Combustion Man's hold. "All right, I'll pay you double to stop!"

While Zuko continued to fight, I watched with horror as Combustion Man shot another blast toward us. Holding my hands out, I blocked it again and I heard the others around me finally decide to scramble for cover. Sokka picked up Toph and ran her behind a column. The others stood ready to fight. The fire stopped and I dropped my arms watching as Zuko continued to fight the man.

The man suddenly turned on my brother and shot a blast of fire at him knocking him off the platform. "ZUKO!" I cried. He fell down, but to my utter relief I saw him catch himself on a large vine.

Glaring daggers at the psychotic assassin, I said to Aang who stood behind me, "I need to get up there!"

Aang looked at me like I was crazy. "What! I'm not going to fly you over there? You're crazy!"

The man went to fire another blast, but this time I shot at him first. My fire smashed into him sending him back hitting the cliff hard. While he was trying to gather himself, I said, "Fine. I'll get up there myself."

I really hoped I knew what I was doing. My body started to glow as fire coursed through my veins. I'd heard of only a few fire benders who had the ability to use their bending to fly. They had to get a lot of fire power to do it. I was the Spirit of Fire, so I hoped that gave me an advantage.

Running forward, I heard Aang cry, "Amber! Don't!" I ignored him. Taking in a deep breath, I looked at Combustion Man who was still trying to recover from my attack at him. Jumping off the platform, I shot fire from my hands and feet. My body jerked upward as I jetted through the air toward the platform across the long drop. I was flying through the large empty space around me, and I focused on my destination instead of looking down. If I looked down I'd lose control of my fire and fall. To my utter relief and amazement, my fire bending shot me straight at the platform. Cutting my fire off in just enough time, I managed to grab onto the platform as I started to fall. Clutching the edge of the surface hard, I hoisted myself up and prepared to fight.

Combustion Man had regained himself, and he looked at me with utter surprise. Getting to my feet, I felt fire flow through my veins. The glow was still around my body as my spiritual self still took me over. He growled. "How did you do that?!"

I smirked. "What's wrong? Never seen a fire bender fly before?"

He growled and breathed in preparing to shoot a fire blast at me. Running forward, I dodged his blast which barely missed me. Actually, I could feel the heat almost hit my neck. When his fire stopped I took my chance. Shooting my hand forward, I fired at him and he flew back sliding across the platform hard. While he was down I rushed over to him and pressed my hand down on his forehead.

"Your fire bending days are over," I snapped. Quickly I drew the heat from his body, and his eyes widened as I took his fire from him. He didn't deserve the ability to fire bend if he was going to use it to kill people. When there was no longer heat inside him, I pulled away and backed up feeling his fire course through me. It was like his fire had become my own.

He gritted his teeth and took in another hard breath to fire at me. When nothing happened, he stared up at me with wide eyes. "Wha- what did you do to me freak?"

I stepped away from him as the glow faded around me, saying, "I took your fire bending away. You can't hurt people anymore."

His eyes went crazy then. "What!" He jumped to his feet as he became red with rage. He rushed forward at me with a yell. Quickly I ducked to the side and tripped him. He stumbled on the platform, and I gasped when I saw him loose his footing and fall over the platforms edge. Rushing over, I saw he was hanging onto the platform for dear life. He looked up at me with horror. "Help!"

Why was I so nice? Why was I helping a guy who tried to kill us three times already? Quickly I grabbed his hand that was clutching onto the platform. I had no clue how I was going to pull this giant back up, but I had to try.

"Amber!" Aang had flown over, and he landed beside me shutting his glider. He quickly grabbed the man's other hand, asking with amazement, "Why are you helping him?"

I felt the man start to slip, and he looked down with horror seeing his life flash before his eyes. "No one deserves to die!"

The man's hands slipped then and I gasped as I lost my grip on him. He shouted as he fell from the platform, and I watched with terror as he dropped down falling to his death. Aang grabbed me pulling me back, and I fell back on my butt. We both shut our eyes as the screams of the man faded down below. Eventually they were no longer heard.

"You tried," Aang said softly.

I hung my head, my eyes watering. I'd failed. Again…

Aang opened his glider and I grabbed onto his waist as he took off with air bending. We both flew back across the open air toward the platform the others were on. Landing, Aang and I walked back over to the others with heavy hearts.

Kale ran over and grabbed both of my shoulders shouting, "That was incredible! You flew!"

I smiled a little, glad for the compliment. Looking back across the empty space, I saw Zuko had made it back on the platform. He was breathing heavily from the distance, and I was relieved to see he was safe.

Pushing Combustion Man out of my thoughts, I asked. "Now can we give him a second chance?"

Aang sighed, nodding to let me know we could.

The group gathered then as we waited for Zuko to walk over. He reached our platform a few minutes later, and approached us. It was only when he got close enough that he saw me. When he saw me, it was like all the color drained from his face. His eyes went wide, his mouth dropped open, and he backed up in disbelief. He probably thought he was seeing a ghost, or he'd gone completely insane. The group fell silent as Zuko and I reunited.

"Hey, Zuko," I said softly.

He stared at me, too shocked to speak.

"I'm not a ghost if that's what you're thinking. I'm very much alive," I said, trying to ease the situation.

He just continued to stare at me, and I knew he was totally taken off guard to find out I was alive. I stepped forward, but Sokka grabbed me not wanting me to go closer. Grabbing his hand, I looked at him with pleading eyes. He sighed and let me go, knowing I needed to do this.

Walking over to my brother Zuko, I saw him watching me still wide eyed. When I reached him, I said, "Zuko... It's really me. I promise." I grabbed his hand which was hanging limply at his side. As soon as my warm hand touch his own, he came back to reality. He realized that I truly was alive. Not a ghost. Not a figment of his imagination. I was real.

"Amber…" His eyes filled with tears. "You're alive… You… I watched you die…"

I smiled weakly, squeezing his hand. "I almost did die… My sister has healing abilities though, so she was able to save me."

"Yo- you're alive," he whispered.

I nodded. "As alive as I'll ever be."

Zuko pulled me to him then, and I gasped taken off guard by his brotherly warmth. He hugged me close to him. So close that I wondered if he was afraid letting me go would cause me to disappear again. I felt his tears fall on my hair as he pressed his mouth to my head. Quickly I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face to his chest. He held me for what felt like minutes, and I felt his shoulders shake as he quietly sobbed with relief. I cried too, as equally happy to see Zuko and be with him again.

"I can't believe you're alive," he said, his voice broken. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Silly… I already died once when I was six. I can't die a second time," I joked.

"I'm sorry," he whispered then. "I'm sorry for what happened. I'm a terrible brother. I promised I'd protect you, and instead I stabbed you in the back and burned you."

I shook my head. "No… You're not a terrible brother. Everything that happened in Ba Sing Sei is history. I forgive you Zuko." His shoulders which were so heavy with guilt, completely relaxed as he felt relief from my forgiveness.

Eventually he pulled away, wiping his eyes somewhat embarrassed that he had broken out in tears. I wiped my eyes too.

A throat cleared then, and we both looked over to see the other five people of the group looking uncomfortable. Sokka crossed his arms, glaring hard at Zuko. I stayed near Zuko crossing my arms too. I wasn't going to let Sokka ruin this because he was too stubborn.

Aang stepped forward though, and I saw his eyes were soft as he gave Zuko a second chance. "I can't believe I'm saying this... but thanks Zuko."

Zuko was taken a bit off guard. I nudged him letting him now it was okay. He nodded and stepped forward saying, "Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

Sokka dropped his arms, shocked by Zuko's words. He couldn't believe what my eldest brother was saying.

Zuko turned to Toph then, who was seated on the fountain once more. He bowed to her, although she couldn't really see it. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a fire bender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang looked at Zuko with surprise. "I think you are supposed to be my fire bending teacher. When I first tried to learn fire bending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to fire bend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love." He bowed at Zuko. "I'd like you to teach me."

Okay. Wow. Now I really did feel like chopped liver. I kept my mouth shut though, knowing that this was Zuko's ticket to staying, and I didn't want to take it away.

Zuko was relieved. "Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group!"

Aang held his finger up. "Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's ok with them." He looked over at Toph. "Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?"

She smirked. "Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet."

Aang looked at my water tribe brother. "Sokka?"

He closed his eyes for a moment thinking and then he shrugged. "Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it."

Aang turned to Katara. She scowled at Zuko, and then looked at Aang. Her eyes softened though when she said, "I'll go along with whatever you think is right." Her eyes looked over to me for a moment, and I could tell she wasn't happy about this.

Kale spoke up then, directing his words to Zuko. "I'll be watching you like a hawk."

Aang smiled weakly. "Guess that's a yes from everyone. I don't even have to ask Amber."

Zuko seemed utterly relieved. "I won't let you down, I promise!"

The group began to disperse then, Sokka carrying Toph away and Aang and Katara following. Kale walked over to us with crossed arms. "Well… I guess you need to go get your stuff then."

Zuko was taken a bit off guard. "Yeah… Um… I guess so."

Turning, I shouted, "Hey Aang! We're borrowing Appa!"

He just waved back at me, not even turning back around. Katara looked at him not liking the idea, but he said something to her and she looked away with a scowl.

Kale, Zuko, and myself managed to climb on Appa then and shot off toward the forest above. Zuko grabbed onto the side of the saddle, terrified by his first flight. He'd flown on Appa before, but he was unconscious that one time. While we flew Zuko seemed like he wanted to say something, but he didn't really get it out. Finally I asked, "What's on your mind?"

Zuko jumped, startled by my question. He finally said, "I was just going to ask what's with the highlights?"

I smiled weakly. "Oh…" Grabbing my hair, I said, "These things. It's just because I'm the Spirit of Fire now."

Zuko was at first confused, then he was bewildered, and then he was confused again. The rest of the time we flew through the forest, got Zuko's stuff, and made our way back to the temple I explained everything. I spoke about the spirit world, waking up, fighting Huo, and becoming the Spirit of Fire. Zuko took it all pretty well, and I was relieved.

When we got back to the temple finally, we saw Katara was preparing lunch. Everyone tried their best to welcome Zuko then. Haru, Teo, and The Duke bombarded him with questions that Zuko seemed baffled by. Eventually Kale broke them up, saying, "Let him get settled. The guy just got here."

Sokka had his arms crossed, watching Zuko's exchange with everyone with narrowed eyes. I bit my lip not liking how irritated he was. Nudging him in the side, I pleaded, "Can you try to be nice?"

Sokka went to argue, but then he saw my face. He gave a heavy sigh, "Fine…" He stepped over to Zuko with a weak smile.

"Hey, Zuko," Sokka began. Zuko looked at him with question. "I can show you around… I mean, if you want."

Zuko was taken a bit off guard, but he nodded saying, "Sure… Thanks."

Aang and I followed Sokka and Zuko as they walked through the temple. Sokka seemed to be trying his best, but talking to Zuko was something he probably never expected he'd have to do. Whenever he spoke to Zuko in the past, it wasn't a casual conversation.

Eventually we arrived at some of the rooms in the air temple. Sokka stood at a doorway and said, "And I guess this can be your room…" Zuko smiled weakly and walked past him. He looked around the stone room while Sokka said, "So here you go, home sweet home. I guess, you know, for now. Unpack... lunch soon. Uh...welcome aboard?" Zuko turned and smiled at Sokka in thanks. Sokka left the room and said to Aang who was smirking. "Ok, this is really, really weird."

"Thanks Sokka," I said. "This means a lot."

He smiled weakly at me and pressed his hand on my shoulder. "Sorry about earlier," he said. "I should've listened to you."

He and Aang headed back toward where the fountain was then, leaving Zuko to get settled in. Turning away from Sokka and Aang, I went to go in to see Zuko but was very surprised to find Katara already standing at the doorway. She didn't notice me as she hissed to Zuko, "You might have everyone else here buying your "transformation". But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." She walked into the room then, and I stood on the outside listening. "So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang or Amber... and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there... permanently."

My sister then stomped out of the room, and I saw her turn almost bumping flat into me. She immediately saw the hurt on my face, but she stood her ground. "I don't trust him Amber. He'll only hurt you again!"

"He's just trying to help."

She scowled. "He's the enemy. He'll never be able to help." She bumped past me then returning to the others. I watched her go with sad eyes. There had to be a way to help her see that Zuko wasn't bad.

Sighing heavily, I walked into the room. Zuko looked troubled by what Katara had said, and when he heard me approach he jumped a bit startled.

"Hey," I said.

He hung his head.

"Sorry about Katara… She's stubborn. Hopefully we can both get through to her though."

Zuko seemed to relax a bit when I said this. "Yeah. Hopefully."

"This is a big thing for everyone. Hopefully they'll all warm up to you... We just need to give them time and let them see your real persona-"

"Amber…" Zuko began, cutting me off from my rambling. I stopped speaking and looked at him with question. He met my eyes and I saw he was grateful. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

I smiled weakly and shrugged. "Someone's got to. Otherwise you would've been thrown off the cliff."

His face was priceless. He actually looked horrified at what I'd said. I smiled. "I'm kidding Zuko. They may not be a big fan of you, but they don't throw people off cliffs." He looked relieved again. Stepping over to him, I threw my arms around him once more. "I'm glad you're here… Uncle and mom would be proud of the choice you made."

He hugged me back. "Thanks… I'm glad your here too. I couldn't have done this without you. I promise I'll never hurt you again."

Pulling away, I said, "You better not, or Kale and Sokka really _will_ throw you off the cliff." He smiled at my small joke. "Get settled. I'll see you in a bit."

Turning, I left Zuko. As I walked away, I heard Roku say, _"Things are finally looking up."_

I nodded, fingering the golden bracelet around my wrist. I sighed and whispered, "Yeah… Finally…"

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><p><strong>AN: That's the Chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry I held the reunion off for so long, but I felt the very end was the best place to reunite the two Fire Nation siblings. Let me know what you all thought. Thanks for reading! **

**~Faithy Waithy**


	14. Crazy Sun Warriors

**Readers! First thank you so much for reading and the reviews! You're all the reason I keep going! Second, I just read all three parts of "Avatar The Last Airbender: The Search"! I was a little late in getting the chance, but now I'm all caught up with the story of Zuko's mom. I think I might extend Amber's story into the comic series after I finish book 3, but I'm not making any promises yet. Finally, this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written, and I had so much fun writing it! I hope you all enjoy! =D**

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><p>Walking through the Western Air Temple, I let my hand trace against the stone wall as I headed toward the main platform where the giant fountain was. I'd just returned from the washrooms which felt very far from where the others were. I felt clean now and more relaxed. Yesterday at lunch things had been a little weird. Everyone stared at Zuko not sure what to say, and Zuko got pretty uncomfortable. Kale and I tried to strike up conversation but it sort of died and failed. By dinner there still wasn't much improvement. I really hoped today would be a better day for everyone.<p>

As I rounded a corner I bumped into someone and we both stumbled back a bit. Looking up, I apologized quickly. Zuko looked at me with a weak smile. "Hey... Are you coming to train with me and the Avatar this morning?"

I crossed my arms a bit, giving a weak smile. "Don't call him the Avatar. He's not a big fan of that name. Aang will do." My brother nodded taking my advice. Then I looked down, "And I don't want to intrude on your training, so probably not." Honestly, I hadn't spoken to Aang since everything happened yesterday. I hadn't spoken to a lot of people since yesterday. I'd kind of kept to myself, unless it was to get Zuko talking with the group or something. I'd talk to Kale, but we were running out of things to talk about at the moment.

"You won't intrude," Zuko said. He then looked down embarrassed. "Also, I was hoping you would come… I mean… I thought if you were there I wouldn't be so nervous…"

Zuko was nervous? Of course I knew why. He was getting ready to teach fire bending to the same kid he'd blasted so many fire balls at in the past. He didn't want to teach Aang without me in the area at least. He wanted to be with someone he knew and felt comfortable with.

Sighing, I did it just for Zuko. "Okay. I'll come with you."

He almost seemed relieved.

We walked through the temple together, Zuko telling me he was enjoying being in the group. "It's really strange, being with all of you and watching how much fun everyone has with each other. You guys are really lucky to have so many friends."

"I'm just glad everyone's trying to keep their hopes up after our horrible loss during the eclipse," I said softly. Pain shot through me as I once again pictured my father Hakoda. Was he okay? Was he being tortured, burned, or starved? I missed him greatly.

"I spoke a little bit with Sokka…" He shot me a look to make sure he got the name right and I nodded. He looked relieved and continued, "about it last night. He told me about the warriors getting captured to let you all escape," Zuko then frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I know they were your friends."

I hung my head. "All we can do now is teach Aang fire bending and hope he can beat the Fire Lord by the comet."

Zuko nodded. He then said softly, "There's something I need to say to you. I've been dying to say it, but I haven't been sure when I should." He grabbed my arm stopping me. I turned to him with question. "During the eclipse I spoke to father… He told me about trying to have you killed. It was only until that moment I realized how stupid I had been. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you tried to tell me all those times about dad."

I waved it off. "It's no big deal. Now you know the truth, so that's all that matters."

Zuko seemed relieved again that I wasn't holding a grudge. He had something else that he seemed to want to tell me too. "Also, I learned something about our mother…" This took me off guard. He grabbed both of my shoulders then, saying, "She's alive Amber… Dad told me she's alive."

"I know," I said. He looked at me with shock. "Roku told me she's alive." I hung my head. "After this war is won, I want to find her."

Zuko nodded. "We'll find her together."

We eventually made our way through the temple then and walked up some steps to a platform where Aang was already seated cross legged and waiting. The platform was actually a part of one of the upside down pagoda's hanging from the cliff. When Aang saw us, he jumped up nervous to learn fire bending from Zuko. "Uh, morning Zuko," he said, and I noticed he was a bit jumpy. He was taken by surprise to see me, but he waved at me too letting me know he was okay I was there.

Zuko walked over to Aang, saying, "I know you're nervous, but remember... fire bending in and of itself is not something to fear."

I muttered under my breath, "Yeah… Like he'll believe that…"

Aang looked unsure as he said, "Ok. Not something to fear."

Zuko crossed his arms. "But if you don't respect it," he raised his voice then and snapped, "it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!"

Aang jumped back startled and terrified. I stepped forward saying, "He's just teasing you Aang." Then I added, "Don't think of fire as a form of destruction. Picture it as warmth, and light."

Aang scowled. "Easy for you to say. You're the Spirit of Fire."

I rolled my eyes. "Well you're the avatar. You learned how to water and earth bend. If you could do those two then fire bending will be a cake walk."

"But you already tried to teach me, and that got us nowhere," Aang said.

I cringed a little. "Guess I'm just a bad teacher then." I met his eyes and smiled encouragingly. "Zuko's actually gone through real training. I've had to learn on my own. He'll be able to start you out small and help you advance over time."

Aang nodded. "Okay…" He turned to Zuko then. "I'm ready to learn Sifu Hotman."

"Sifu what?" Zuko was taken off guard.

A sigh escaped me. "Aang likes to give his teachers different titles. Just roll with it."

My brother muttered, "But I don't want to be called that." He then concentrated. "Let's get started." He walked up to Aang. "Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

Aang looked nervous and took in a deep breath. I stepped back giving Zuko and Aang space to train. Aang shot his palm forward then and a small spark was formed. It puffed into smoke immediately. Aang looked embarrassed. "Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?"

Zuko sighed. Nodding, my brother stepped back gesturing for Aang to do the same. "Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back."

Aang backed up, and I did so as well to give Zuko some room. He concentrated for a moment, took in a deep breath, and then he shot his hand forward. A small fire ball escaped his fist fading in the air. It stunned me. That was the weakest fire I've ever seen Zuko make.

Aang applauded but I looked at him shaking my head to tell him to stop. He did and looked at me with question, while Zuko cried, "What was that?! That was the worst fire bending I've ever seen!"

Aang shrugged. "I thought it was… nice."

My brother quickly fired more flames from his hands, but each one was no bigger than his first. I furrowed my brows in confusion. This was not normal. Why was Zuko barely able to produce a stable flame?

"Why is this happening?" My brother shot another flame, but still nothing.

I walked over trying to keep the mood light. "Maybe the air up here is just too thick."

Aang stood agreeing. "Yeah. The altitude could be affecting you. Maybe we should change our training ground."

"Yeah… Okay," Zuko said softly. He stared at his hands with disbelief. We made our way to a lower platform then, and Zuko tried once more. He fired, and fired, and kept on firing but the more he did the more nothing changed.

The weak flames continued to be shot for what felt like a whole hour. Zuko was trying to bring his fire bending back, and Aang and I watched with sad eyes. Aang leaned over asking, "Is your brother okay?"

Shaking my head, I said, "Something's wrong… I've never seen Zuko fire bend like this before."

Aang sighed. "Yeah… Me neither. What should we do?"

"Just keep encouraging him," I said.

Zuko shot another flame, this one flowing a little bit toward where Aang and I sat. Aang tried to be encouraging like I told him to. "That one kind of felt hot."

He scowled. "Don't patronize me!"

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms saying, "He wasn't Zuko. It's called encouragement."

Aang apologized though. "Sorry Sifu Hotman."

Zuko looked irritated. "And stop calling me that!" Aang cringed from how annoyed Zuko was getting.

An intruder came into our training ground then, and I wasn't sure if I should tell Sokka to leave or not. The last thing Zuko probably wanted was an audience. Sokka plopped on the ground a little ways from us, chewing on an apple and smirking. "Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you three jerks do your jerk bending?"

I slapped my forehead in disbelief. Zuko pointed toward the stairs saying, "Get out of here!"

Sokka held his hand up in defense, dropping his apple core in the process. "Ok, take it easy. I was just kidding around." He stood and walked away with laughter in his eyes. "Jerk bending, still got it."

I sighed and shook my head in disbelief. Zuko dropped his head and moaned. Aang stood saying, "Maybe by tomorrow it will all come back to you. Just hang in there." He patted Zuko on the shoulder and walked off. Standing myself, I walked over to Zuko too.

"I don't get it," he said softly. "What's happening to me? It's like my fire's gone."

I deeply doubted his fire was gone. "Hold still," I said. He looked at me with question. Taking his hands into my own, I concentrated as I felt for his heat. There was tons of fire inside him. It just felt like something was blocking it from coming out. Pulling away from him, I crossed my arms. "Your fire isn't gone; it's just locked up inside you. You have to find a way to free it."

My brother looked confused. "I don't understand."

"When you used your fire bending before," I explained, "you were driven by anger and hatred toward so many around you. You no longer have those feelings, so you don't know how to fire bend without them."

Zuko sighed. "I don't know how to get it back."

I smiled. "Guess you have to find a new drive."

He looked at me with question. "What's your drive?"

His question took me off guard. Thinking it over, I answered, "My drive is protecting my friends and family. I fight for them. I learned fire bending at the South Pole so I could become stronger and help Sokka take care of our tribe and my sister Katara. That's my drive."

Zuko frowned. "I wish I could find drive like you. You always have such a good heart. How is it that you got the most of mom out of the three of us?"

I shrugged. "If you got the most of mom you'd be a girl like me."

He smiled a bit at my joke. "Yeah… I guess so."

Later that night we were seated around the campfire eating. Haru, The Duke, and Teo were chatting away about different parts of the air temple they had discovered. Kale sat beside me while they talked, chewing on his food and listening. Katara was chatting with Toph, and Sokka and Aang were chatting with one another. The voices quickly ceased though when Zuko arrived. He looked heartbroken as he prepared to tell the group the bad news.

He hung his head in utter shame as he approached. "Listen everybody; I've got some pretty bad news... I've lost my stuff."

Toph quickly held her hands up in defense. "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff."

"I don't think anyone was looking at her," Kale said under his breath.

She snapped, "I heard that Tea Bag."

Zuko quickly got back to the topic at hand. "I'm talking about my fire bending. It's gone."

The group fell silent in surprise by Zuko's words. Well most of us fell silent. Katara broke out into laughter. I glared at her annoyed that she would laugh at Zuko. He narrowed his eyes at her too. She smirked and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know... how it would have been nice for us if you lost your fire bending a long time ago?"

I cleared my throat, and my sister looked over at me with narrowed eyes. She frowned then when she saw the pain etched on my face. She scowled looking away back at her soup.

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed. "Well it's not lost. It's just weaker for some reason."

My sister opened her big mouth again. "Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are."

"Katara!" I cried. "Stop it!"

Toph smirked. "Ouch."

Zuko ignored her. "I bet it's because I switched sides. Amber and I were discussing it earlier."

Katara scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"I don't know. Maybe it isn't," Aang began. The others looked at him with question. I sighed, glad Aang was agreeing with me. "Maybe your fire bending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

Sokka jumped up then grinning. He held his sheathed sword and walked over to Zuko who looked at him with a raised brow. "So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry... easy enough." He began to poke Zuko repeatedly with the hilt of his sword and I covered my face in disbelief. Kale chuckled beside me, and tried to hide it by sipping his soup.

After the fifth poke Zuko snapped, "Ok! Cut it out!" Sokka jumped and dropped his sword in the process. While Sokka tried to retrieve his sword Zuko spoke again, "Look... even if you're right," he grabbed the bridge of his nose, "I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

Toph sighed, placing her bowl on the ground in front of her. "You're gonna need to learn to draw your fire bending from a different source. I recommend the original source."

Silence fell as they took in what Toph said. After a moment everyone looked over at me. Sokka said, "We have the original source. Get to work Spirit of Fire."

I shook my head saying, "I can only increase or take away fire. I would've helped him by now if I could. Zuko has to figure this out on his own. It's not that he has no fire, but that he needs to find out how to bend it." I glanced at Aang slightly crossing my arms. "I would try to teach him but obviously I'm not capable of that."

Aang crossed his arms too. "I never said you were a horrible teacher!"

"It doesn't matter… I learned fire bending completely on my own, so I have no clue how to help," I said. I traced my finger on the ground as memories of my childhood came back to me.

Toph spoke up again. "When I say original source, I mean finding the first fire benders. Amber may be able to give and take fire, but the bending moves that fire benders use came from somewhere else."

"So, does he need to jump in a volcano?" Sokka asked, almost liking the idea.

Toph shrugged. "I don't know. For earth bending, the original benders were badger moles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earth bending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earth benders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."

I smiled a bit by Toph's story.

Aang beamed. "That's amazing, Toph. I learned from the monks, but the original air benders were the Sky Bison." He looked over at Appa who was resting nearby. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime buddy!"

Appa groaned as if to say sure_._

"Well, this doesn't help me," Zuko suddenly said. "The original fire benders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

Aang looked surprised. "What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid."

Zuko scowled. "Well there not around anymore, okay!"

"Okay! Okay." He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry."

My eldest brother calmed down. "But maybe there's another way." He walked over to the fountain touching his chin in thought. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

"Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid," Aang said, standing and walking over to Zuko.

"No, they died off thousands of years ago," Zuko stared off into the distance then, his eyes trailing to the cliff across the far drop. "But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

Aang seemed to like this idea. "It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

My brother Sokka looked confused. "So, what?" Zuko and Aang turned to look at Sokka with question. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood 1000 years ago?"

Zuko shrugged. "More or less. Either I find a new way to fire bend, or the Avatar has to learn from Amber."

The group finished eating dinner then, and Aang and Zuko prepared to shuffle off. They wanted to head out bright and early in the morning so they could get to the ruins by midday tomorrow. Helping Katara clean the bowls out from supper, I heard Katara say to me, "I don't like this."

Sighing, I put down the bowl I was working on. "Zuko isn't going to do anything to Aang. Chill out."

Katara stood then. "No! I don't trust him! I don't like the idea of Aang and Zuko going alone!"

Looking up at her, I smiled weakly. "They'll be fine. This will be a great way for Zuko and Aang to get to know each other more."

Katara began to pace, and then a thought struck her. Pointing at me she said, "If you go with them, then you can keep an eye on them both!" She suddenly knelt in front of me grabbing my hands. I stared at her bewildered. "You have to go with them! I won't have any peace if it's just Zuko and Aang together!"

Trying to pull from her hands, I said, "They already asked me to come along and you all were against it. You guys didn't want me getting into trouble like I always do."

Katara got all pouty. "I take it back. Please Amber! I can't let them go alone."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I tried to pull my hands from her again. "But if I do this you have to promise not to be so hard on Zuko when we get back." Standing I said, "If I'm going with Aang and Zuko, it's best to keep this from Sokka and Kale. They'll try to stop me like they did after dinner."

Katara nodded. "I won't tell a soul."

Walking through the temple, I found Aang and Zuko were still over by Appa putting some supplies in his saddle. Walking over to them, I said, "So change of plans. I spoke to the group and they decided I should go along."

Zuko looked relieved while Aang looked bewildered. "Sokka and Kale changed their minds? They seemed very lenient about you leaving the temple."

I waved Aang off. "They think it will be a great learning experience. Plus I have you and Zuko to look out for me."

Aang narrowed his eyes, knowing I was lying. Zuko looked content to have me coming along.

The next morning at the very break of dawn we took off flying through the sky. Sokka and Kale were still asleep so they had no clue I slipped out of my sleeping bag and hopped on Appa too. I felt bad for not telling them, but the night before they were firm in what they felt.

"_You're not going! I've already said it once and I'm not saying it again!" _Sokka had snapped.

"_Last thing we need is you falling through some ruins into a patch of quicksand!" _Kale also had snapped.

A sigh escaped me as I leaned back against Appa's saddle. Zuko who was seated across from me looked at me with question. Looking away, I stared over at the clouds not wanting to confess I wasn't really supposed to be with them.

We seemed to fly for a good five hours. Zuko looked like he was getting impatient. "We've been riding for hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster."

Rolling my eyes, I smirked. "Is that because you had such a hard time keeping up with us?"

Zuko crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me. "I kept up fine!"

Appa groaned, and Aang spoke up this time. "Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start out our missions with a more upbeat attitude."

Zuko let out a groan. "I can't believe this…"

I giggled. Zuko looked at me with question and I smiled at him. "Not used to a chipper adventure Zuko?"

He rolled his eyes. "I traveled with soldiers for the last three years. Not much is chipper about that."

I crossed my arms. "You offend me. What about when Kale and I were journeying with you? We kept things chipper."

My brother scoffed. "Chipper? I wanted to pound Kale's face in the dirt half the time."

Aang laughed. "Wow! You and Sokka have a lot in common Zuko."

We flew for a few more hours and I started to doze. As I drifted I was just about to hit sleep when someone nudged me in the shoulder. "Amber! Look! We're here!"

Jumping awake, I looked at Zuko with question. He was pointing at something that we were flying toward. Sitting up, I looked past Appa down at the world below. "Wow…" The ruins were truly beautiful, having ancient architecture and strange buildings. Some of the stone buildings were similar to buildings that would be seen in the Fire Nation. I assumed that people from the Fire Nation had been to this place before. Large green mountains jutted around the ruins isolating the stone structures from outsiders. In the very center of the whole city stood a massive pyramid. The whole place was abandoned.

Eventually Appa landed in a field near the ruins, and I patted him telling him to take a break. Appa plopped down tiredly and began to drift. While I gathered a pack of food and some water, Aang and Zuko looked around with excitement. We set out after I had everything we needed, and the three of us began to walk through the ruins.

"Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these," Zuko said.

Crossing my arms, I looked at painted patterns on the walls we were walking along side of. "I'm sure the Fire Nation once roamed this place like crazy trying to find all its secrets."

Aang smiled back at Zuko and I. "Ok, we learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about fire bending too. The past can be a great teacher."

My eyes caught something on the ground then and I gasped. "Aang! Wait!"

It was too late. Aang's foot hit the trip wire and he fell forward. The walkway dropped in front of him revealing a bunch of iron spikes. Aang quickly used air bending and blew himself over the spikes landing on the other side with a gasp. He breathed hard as he tried to recover from his almost death. When he turned, he said to Zuko and I, "Guys! I think the past is trying to kill me!"

Zuko knelt and picked up the trip wire with amazement. "I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old, and it still works."

"Something obviously wants us gone," I said.

Aang added, "There's probably a lot more. Maybe this means we shouldn't be here."

Zuko stepped back and took off at an angle. Jumping he ran sideways on the wall and managed to get to the other side of the spikes. When he landed beside Aang, he joked, "Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about? Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."

"No… They make traps to kill outsiders," I muttered.

Both Zuko and Aang looked back at me. Aang shot me a smirk. "Are you coming Amber?"

Glancing at the spikes, I muttered, "I have to jump over these things?"

Aang cupped his hands over his mouth shouting across the twenty foot wide trap. "Come on! Day lights a wasting!"

With a heavy sigh, I took a few steps back and then took off running. With a powerful kick off the ground, I leaped through the air over the trap. Using a small bit of fire, I gave myself a small shot of flames to boost me to the other side. Landing rather clumsily on my feet, I felt Zuko steady me as I started to trip and fall.

Aang patted my shoulder. "See! Wasn't that easy?"

I crossed my arms sort of annoyed. "Not really."

After walking on for another fifteen minutes, we made it to a bunch of stairs that led up toward a large mural. Taking the stairs, we found when we reached the top that painted on a large stone wall was a scary image. Two dragons were painted symmetrical from one another, and in the very center of the mural was the painting of a man. The man was being set on fire by both the dragons. The image was a little horrifying, while at the same time beautiful.

Aang stepped up to the mural tapping his chin. "Look. This seems promising. Though I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of fire bending."

My brother stepped up to it too looking uneasy. "They look pretty angry to me."

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors," Aang said softly.

"Well they had a funny way of showing it," Zuko muttered. He turned and started to walk away.

Looking back up at the mural, I stared at the dragons with amazement. Dragons were extinct… It was kind of sad... Roku's dragon Fang was a nice dragon, so obviously the dragons weren't all monsters. Wonder why they all died off?

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in the last 100 years. Something you're not telling me," Aang suddenly said. I turned my attention back to the guys who were already walking away from me. Quickly I rushed to catch back up. When I caught back up, I saw Zuko looked greatly troubled.

He let out a hard sigh, "My great-grandfather Sozin happened. He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate fire benders. And if you could conquer one, your fire bending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honorary title "Dragon"." We had walked across a bridge and reached the end. Two dragon statues stood at the end, and one was missing his head. "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born, by my Uncle." His hand touched where the dragon's head should've been.

I was shocked. Uncle had killed a dragon? He didn't seem like the kind of man who enjoyed killing things.

Aang was confused. "But I thought your Uncle was, I don't know, good?"

Zuko looked at Aang. "He had a complicated past. Family tradition I guess." His eyes shot over to me and I hung my head knowing exactly what he meant. Zuko walked over to me and took my hand to comfort me. I smiled a bit at him, and he smiled back. "Let's move on."

We continued to make our way through the ruins, and eventually we arrived at a large door to a huge old building. The door was sealed shut, and above it was a red jewel that glinted in the sunlight. Aang ran up to the door trying to open it, but of course it didn't budge.

Aang stepped back. "It won't open!"

Quickly I said, "Well, I guess we should just go another way." Turning, I went to leave not wanting to run into anymore booby-traps. Zuko grabbed my arm to stop me, and I pouted when he pulled me back.

"Obviously there's something important inside," Zuko said. He looked around for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Wait!" He stepped aside suddenly, letting me go. A red light shot past us hitting a round column on the floor. "It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples. I bet that Sun Stone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits it at just the right angle, on the solstice."

Aang whined, "Monkey feathers! The solstice again? We can't wait here that long."

My brother tapped his chin in thought. Then it hit him. "No we can't." He tore his broadsword from his sheath and used it to direct the red dot that was coming from a stones reflection from the sun. "But we might be able to speed time up. Let's see if we can outsmart the Sun Stone." As he guided the red ray of light, he managed to lead it up the wall toward the jewel above the door.

The light hit the jewel, and Zuko held it there trying to concentrate.

Aang said, "Nothing's happening."

"Maybe that's for the best," I added.

Zuko still held his sword so the light was reflected off and hitting the stone above the door. "Come on…"

The doors opened then, and I scowled not wanting to go inside. I so did not want to get caught in another booby trap.

As Zuko sheathed his sword Aang walked up to him and nudged him on the side. "You know, Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you, you're pretty smart."

Aang walked off then, and I saw Zuko's mouth drop with question. He looked over at me but I shrugged not sure what Aang meant either. Obviously my family was insulting Zuko behind his and my own back.

We all stepped into the massive room and Aang almost walked straight into a statue. He gasped and jumped back prepared to fight. Zuko stepped forward grabbing his shoulder to calm him. "Relax. They're just statues." My eyes followed the whole circle of statues. The statues were symmetrical, and at the very top center the two statues were touching fists together. Aang walked behind the first statue and stared at it.

"It says this is something called The Dancing Dragon," Aang said.

A laugh rang behind me, and I jumped turning in surprise. My eyes searched the doorway, but I saw nothing. Zuko walked over to Aang and they both stared at the statues, neither of them having heard the laugh. A laugh rang again, and I jumped turning once more toward the doorway. "Zuko, get over here. I want you to dance with me!"

My eyes widened and I looked back over to see Aang tugging on Zuko's arm. He looked startled. "What?"

"Just do it!" Aang begged.

"_Amber…" _A voice whispered from behind me once more. Shivers went up my spine. Was there a spirit calling me? Turning, I looked back out of the room we were in, but I saw nothing. Walking outside the building, I scanned the ruins for anything that may have been the voice.

A giggle sounded once more, and I heard it come from nearby. Don't Amber... Don't go toward the strange laugh... I hesitated, not sure what to do. My curiosity got the best of me though. Looking over at Zuko and Aang, I saw they were doing some weird dance and decided they wouldn't miss me too long. Rushing toward the sound without even thinking, I ran around some ruins only to run smack dab into a glowing girl. Smacking into her hard, I fell back on the ground with a thud and winced a bit from the fall. The little girl laughed again and I finally managed to get a good look at her.

She was maybe nine in appearance, her long black hair flowing loosely down her back. She wore a red tube top, and some red fire nation trousers. Red Fire Lilies were in her hair, and she was barefoot. Her eyes were amber as they stared at me. She also wore a necklace around her neck, and the charm on it happened to be a fire red sun. She was glowing, and she was definitely a spirit. What was a spirit doing here of all places?

"Who are you?" I asked, managing to get back to my feet.

She smiled, and then took my hand in hers. _"Amber… The Spirit of Fire…"_

The sound of doors slamming shut suddenly caught my attention. Turning sharply, I heard both Zuko and Aang's cries echo through the air. "Oh no! Zuko! Aang!"

Quickly I went to run off back to where Zuko and Aang were, but the hand still on my own tightened. I was yanked back, and I looked at the spirit of the young girl with horror. She continued to smile, oblivious to the fact that she was hurting my hand. _"You must stay here forever Spirit of Fire… You must stay and lead the Sun Warriors who still remain."_

I scowled and ripped my hand out of hers. "Let go of me!" Backing away from her, I saw her narrow her eyes at me. Turning, I took off running back toward where the others were. Rushing around the ruins, I wanted to kick myself. If I hadn't been chasing after voices I could've been with Aang and Zuko and probably helped them. When I got to the door it was sealed shut once more.

"Zuko! Aang!" I cried, pounding hard on the door. The building felt like it was shaking.

"_Your friends are gone,"_ the little girl said once again. Turning, I glared daggers at her. She was standing a little ways from me with her hands behind her back. _"You must stay here now."_

I scowled. "Who are you? What do you want?!"

She gave me an innocent smile. _"My name is Spara… I once was Priestess of the Sun Warriors many years ago, back when the dragons ruled over man. In that time the Spirit of Fire was Huo… You have inherited his flames now and so you are the rightful Princess of Flames. I want you stay here with us and protect your people."_

At first I was taken off guard, and then I scowled. "I don't want to be princess of anything." Twisting on my heel, I shot a hard blast of fire at the door but the stone just turned red from the heat. "Hang on you guys!" There was no telling what Aang and Zuko were going through at the moment.

"_I already told you my Princess. Your friends are gone," _the young spirit said again. She added, _"Your fire truly is magical. Huo compares nothing to you. You must come with me. You must come take your place as ruler over the Sun Warriors."_

I was getting irritated. This spirit chick was getting on my very last nerve. Lighting a flame, I turned and snapped at her, "My friends are fine! Just leave me alone!"

She looked shocked. _"Have I angered you my princess?"_

"Yes!" I snapped. She stepped back and I doused my flame surprised to see her flinch by my anger. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to calm down. "Look Spara… I don't have time to be your _Princess of Flames._ I'm already a freak with the whole Spirit of Fire thing. Right now I just want to find my friends and get out of here."

She shook her head. _"You must stay… Huo promised he'd protect us and he broke his promise. You must protect us now princess."_

"I'm sorry Spara… I can't," I said, backing away. "I have to get to my friends."

She smiled. _"You don't have a choice."_

Something suddenly pricked my neck and I winced yanking the wooden stick out. When I saw something dripping at the end of the small sticks sharp edge my eyes widened. A dart… Someone had hit me with a dart!

Looking around, I searched the ruins in horror trying to find the cause. Spara stepped in front of me bowing, _"I look forward to serving you, Princess Amber." _She faded away then and I gasped backing away. Another dart smacked into my neck again, and this time my vision became blurry. Quickly I tore the dart out and went to smacking on the door again. "Aang! Zuko!"

My mouth became dry and I felt my muscles grow weak. The world around me began to spin and I fell on my knees trying to hold myself up with the door. Footsteps approached me, but by that point everything was starting to grow fuzzy.

A voice spoke but was faded. "Is it her, Priest Gee?"

An older voice said, "Yes… The Spirit of Fire. I can sense her powerful spirit."

Quickly I shot a very weak flame around me trying to scare off whoever was there. "Sta- stay away…" I hissed, trying to stand. My whole body collapsed on the ground then.

"We must take her to the chief," another voice said.

Someone suddenly lifted me from the ground. Everything went dark then as I lost consciousness.

When I came to sometime later, I groaned clutching my head. Opening my eyes, I found myself in a stone room on a firm bed. Sitting up, I rubbed my neck where the darts had pricked into my skin. The room I was in was lit by a few candles on the four walls around me. It was a building that must've been thousands of years old. The doorway to the room was covered with a dark sheet, and the one window was also covered by a sheet.

Crawling off the large bed that I noticed was made out of grass and wood, I managed to get to my feet. I was barefoot, and I winced as the rocky earth below stabbed a bit into my feet. Walking across the dark room, I pushed the curtain on the window aside and winced when the sunset hit my eyes. Sunset! I've been out that long! Oh no! Zuko and Aang!

Gasping, I backed from the window and quickly searched the room for my shoes but found none. There was nothing in the room except for the bed, a small bowl in the corner, and a small thing of folded clothes. They must've taken my shoes and pack when I was unconscious. Deciding the shoes weren't important, I rushed to the door to run through the sheet and get out of this strange place. Just as I reached the doors sheet, a woman stepped through sending me stumbling back.

The woman was very tall and lean, her hair black and done up in a very tight pony tail with a gold band. She wore a red and gold shirt that stopped above her belly button, and some loose looking red trousers that stopped at her knees. She was barefoot as well, and I saw gold hoops in her ears. She stared at me in shock, probably not expecting to see me awake. She had a pitcher of water in her hands.

She quickly got on her knees, bowing to me but still holding the pitcher of water. "My princess… I wasn't expecting you to wake so soon. The other warriors will be pleased by your recovery."

My head was still splitting as I backed from the woman. "Warriors?"

"May I rise, Princess of Flames?"

Princess of Flames… What was going on? My heart began to speed up as fear coursed through me. The woman was still waiting for my permission, and finally I said, "Um… Sure… I guess…"

She rose then, and I saw her smile kindly at me. "There is nothing to fear my princess. You are safe here. Forgive us for retrieving you in such a manner as we did. We thought at first you were an intruder, but our head priest sensed who you were only a moment later."

"Head priest?"

She nodded, and then she walked over to the side of the room. Placing the pitcher on the floor beside the bowl, she picked up the clothes and returned over to me. "I have a change of clothes suitable for you my princess. Once you are dressed I will take you to the chief."

"Um… Where are my shoes and bag?"

She bowed her head. "We have taken them off of your hands, my princess."

I was speechless. She handed the clothes over to me, and I noticed they were similar to the clothing she was wearing. "Um… No thanks. I'm comfortable," I said, handing the clothes back to her. My water tribe shirt and pants looked more comfortable than what she handed me. She was stunned, not sure what to do. She probably never expected I wouldn't accept the clothes. "Look," I began. "I need to leave and find my friends, so if you'll excuse me…"

Just as I tried to leave, the woman quickly intercepted my path. "Please… Princess Amber, you must wear these so we may properly welcome you home."

"Home…?" I started to understand. These people wanted me to be their princess. They wanted me to be their leader. They must've worshiped Huo in the past for being the Spirit of Fire, and now that I was the Spirit of Fire they wanted me to stay so they could praise me. I shook my head trying to knock away the shock I felt. "Um… Okay… I need to say something." The woman looked at me with question. "I am not your princess, and I do not want to be. I'm sure you and your people are very nice, but I can't stay and be your leader. I have to go find my friends now before something terrible happens to them." Shoving past her, she gasped not sure what to do.

"My princess! Wait!"

Stepping outside, I winced at the sudden sunlight that crept into my eyes. When I finally focused, I saw the warriors of the tribe I had stumbled upon were gathered near the place I had been put in. The warriors were of all shapes, sizes, and ages. They were also barely wearing any clothing. All of the men were shirtless. When they saw me come out of the building, they all quickly dropped to their knees and bowed. There were even children and they bowed too.

My eyes widened. "Wait… Don't…"

A beefy man with a tied beard kept his head bent down as he stepped toward me. My eyes widened when he bowed even more. I wasn't used to being treated so highly. "Princess Amber… Forgive my men for being so rash earlier. We were not aware you would grace us with your presence anytime soon." He raised his head saying, "My name is Chief Gwo. Welcome to our home. The Sun Warriors are all pleased to have you here."

My jaw dropped. "The Sun Warriors?" The Sun Warriors were gone I thought. Zuko had said so. These people were from such an ancient civilization! "You all died off…"

He smiled kindly at me. "We were forced into hiding by our enemies, but we never died off. The Spirit of Fire has always come to aid us in our time of need. When our high priest heard rumor from the spirits that a new ruler of the flames had been made, we all couldn't wait to meet you."

"Oh… Well I wouldn't say I'm ruler of the flames. I mean I can give and take away fire. That's about it," I said. My eyes shot to the men and women who were still bowing. "Um… They really don't need to do that."

The Chief called them all to a stand, and they rose to their feet looking at me with wonder. The Chief backed away then. "Please, my princess... We have never seen the great flames of the Spirit of Fire with our own eyes. We have only ever heard of tales from our ancestors who were visited by Huo in the past. Won't you do us the honor of showing us a small display of your power?"

My brain started to work then. So these people wanted me to show them my fire. Time to compromise. "Let's make a trade instead… I'll show you my fire, if you find my friends and bring them here safely. I'm really worried about them."

The Chief was taken off guard. "You did not come alone?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "My brother Zuko and the Avatar are out there. We originally came here to learn the original ways of fire bending, but got separated back near one of the ruins."

A man stepped forward then, and I saw he was very old and had gray hair. His gray hair was done in a top knot and he was shirtless like all the other warrior men. He wore some gold necklaces and earrings though and had dragon tattoos on his old wrinkled arms. He also used a wooden cane to walk. "I knew I felt another spiritual presence in the Sunstone chamber. That must've been the Avatar…"

The Chief gestured toward the elderly man. "My princess… This is High Priest Gee. He is the one who sensed who you were."

"I am honored to finally meet you, my princess," he said, bowing his body a bit.

The Chief and some of his men went out to find my brother and Aang then, leaving me alone with the other Warriors. The children in the group quickly ran up to me asking me questions, and their parents looked horrified rushing over to intervene. I shook my head letting them know it was okay.

"Are you really the Spirit of Fire?" One little boy asked.

Another boy asked, "Can you make things explode?"

A girl looked at me with bright eyes. "You're so pretty!"

The chatter from the children eased my worries a bit, and I actually smiled. _"See… Everyone here adores you… Why not stay?" _I jumped when I heard Spara's voice. She stood among the children, smiling at me with those innocent eyes. She mixed with the children quite well. I was the only one who could see her. Though I did see the High Priest was looking right at her with surprise. Could he see her too?

One of the young children asked as if hearing Spara, "Are you staying here?"

Immediately I took a step back from the children. Frowning, I said down to them, "I would love to stay and get to know you all more, but I'm actually on an important mission with my friends right now."

Spara scowled, storming through the children toward me. She was still only seen by me and the High Priest. _"You don't get it! You're not leaving! Huo abandoned these people already! You can't make the same mistake!"_

"They seem fine to me," I muttered under my breath, trying not to look like an insane person to these people. Someone who looked like she was talking to herself wouldn't pass well.

The High Priest walked over to me then, shooing the children away. When they were gone after making whines of disappointment, the man said, "I see you have met Spara… She is a spirit that has been watching over this tribe for years. She once was the High Priestess over a thousand years ago. She can be a bit stubborn." He saw my look of question. "I am the only Sun Warrior who can see her. As priest I can sense spirits, and I have known Spara for most of my life."

Spara gritted her teeth as if she were about to throw a temper tantrum. _"You must agree with me Priest Gee… If she leaves, the tribe will continue to be vulnerable. Even Ran and Shaw will be vulnerable!"_

"Ran and Shaw…?"

The High Priest nodded. "Yes… They are the masters which you and your friends seek. They are the ones who can teach the original way of fire bending."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "When Zuko and Aang get here we can meet them and learn what we need to learn!"

The priest frowned. "It's not that easy. The masters only teach their ways to people they deem worthy. To all the others…"

"_They die,_" Spara chirped. She then disappeared again leaving me with a look of horror.

It seemed like almost two hours passed by, and I found myself seated on the ground avoiding the gazes of the Sun Warriors around me. They were all excited to see me fire bend when my friends arrived. It was dark now, and so a campfire was lit to light up the center of the tribe where I waited. The center of the tribe was surrounded by ruins where the Sun Warriors lived.

The High Priest sat beside me while we waited, and I was offered a drink by the first woman I had met before. I found the woman's name was Sena, and she apologized for being overbearing back in the stone building I'd woken in. I assured her it was no big deal and she bowed once again walking away. Sipping my drink, I sighed as I began to worry about Aang and Zuko. Why hadn't they found them yet?

"They're back!" A voice exclaimed.

My ears almost perked as I heard one of the men shout this. Jumping up, I was immediately stopped by Spara who appeared in front of me blocking my path. _"What's the rush?" _She seemed pretty irritated that they'd actually found my friends.

The High Priest stood as well and walked beside me. "The Avatar… I never thought in all my years I'd get to meet the bridge between our world and the spirits." Both the priest and I ignored Spara stepping forward. Zuko and Aang were being led through the crowd of Sun Warriors toward me by Chief Gwo. Chief Gwo looked a bit irritated, but when he saw me he immediately lightened up.

"We have brought your friends my princess, just as you requested," Chief Gwo said.

Aang was bewildered, then relieved, then confused. "Amber! What are you doing here?" He went to rush toward me but immediately men stepped in front of me lighting fire in their hands to protect me. Aang stepped back in shock, and Zuko looked amazed.

"Stop! It's okay," I said. The men quickly doused their flames and stepped aside letting me through. Walking over to Aang and Zuko, I blushed embarrassed. "Sorry… They see me as Princess of Flames or something like that."

Zuko stepped forward then. "We were worried about you. Could you please stop running off?"

I smiled weakly. "Sorry…"

"My princess… We have brought your friends. Please show us," the Chief pleaded, breaking into our conversation.

Aang asked, "Show them what?"

I sighed. "They want to see my fire. I promised I'd show them if they found you guys and brought you back safely."

Aang smiled. "Glad you did. We were stuck in some yucky goo that some aardvark-sloths had to lick off of us."

"Yucky goo… Never mind, I'm not going to ask." With a hard breath, I said, "I guess I should get this over with."

A hand grabbed my arm as I started to walk. "What happened to you? Why did you run off?"

Looking over at Chief Gwo I saw he was getting impatient. Smiling weakly at Zuko, I promised, "I'll explain later."

The Sun Warriors all gathered in a circle then and I stood in the center. Zuko and Aang stood in the circle as well, and I saw they were uncomfortable among the many Sun Warriors. The Chief stepped over to me saying to the others, "For years we have heard ancient tales of the Spirit of Fire granting strength and protection to our people. Our ancestors were honored to be visited by Huo, the spirit who once controlled the flames. Now we are honored to be in the presence of Princess Amber, the new Spirit of Fire!" The warriors cheered and I crossed my arms a bit self-conscious.

The chief stepped away from me then, and the circle fell quiet. They all watched with excitement, ready to see my flames. With a hard sigh, I took a deep breath and relaxed my muscles. Shutting my eyes, I felt warmth flow through my veins as my spirit began to take over. Gasps escaped the crowd as they saw a glow start to form around my body. Lighting flames in my hands, I immediately shot fire at the ground and twisted my body creating a whole circle of flames. My fire burned with so many different colors, from purple, to blue, to green, and I even saw some pink in the mix. Warriors stepped up to the flames, grabbing some in their hands with amazement. The fire in their palms turned back to a solid red flame as soon as it left my circle and went to their hands.

The crowd cheered with delight, and I doused my flames relieved that I'd made them happy. The chief stepped toward me saying, "You truly are Princess of Flames! We are humbled to have you in our presence." He bowed and the others bowed too. Zuko and Aang looked around with utter bewilderment. Aang pointed at a dude who bowed beside him and shot me a 'what the heck' look. I hung my head blushing beat read.

"Stop…" I said. "Please stop bowing to me."

The chief stood looking confused, "In tales of our people it is customary for the Sun Warriors to show their respect to the Spirit of Fire. Huo was known to scorch people if they did not bow to him."

"Um… I'm not Huo," I said. Then I was confused. "How did they see Huo back then if he was a spirit?"

The high priest stepped forward to explain. "Huo would take over one of the Sun Warrior's body's during his stay in the city. It was the only way he could make his presence known to the people."

"He possessed someone?!"

Spara appeared beside me with a smile. _"It was an honor for a man to be chosen to be a vessel for the Spirit of Fire. My father was chosen as a vessel when I was alive thousands of years ago."_

It was so hard wrapping my head around all of this. The Chief must've noticed that I was weary. "You and your friends must rest. We will take you to meet the masters tomorrow." I smiled weakly, grateful for his kindness.

Later that night I found myself back in the room I had originally woken in. Zuko and Aang had come with me, not liking the idea of any of us being alone in this place. The Chief was very lenient on allowing them to come with me, but the High Priest told him to back off. "If the Spirit of Fire wants this, we must allow it."

Sitting on the bed cross legged, I looked down at Aang and Zuko who were seated on some straw mats they were provided. "Okay…" Zuko began. "So let me try and figure all this out." He looked up at me with a straight face. "These people are the ancient Sun Warriors who supposedly died out over a thousand years ago…" I nodded. "And they highly respect the Spirit of Fire which is you now…" I nodded again. "So they see you as this Princess of Flames person and pretty much want you to stay with them forever." I gave one last final nod. He sighed and stood. Walking over he flicked me on the side of the head.

"Ow!" I whined, rubbing the spot right near my ear that pulsed in pain. "What was that for?"

Zuko crossed his arms looking down at me. "You just can't stay out of trouble can you?"

I smiled weakly. "Trouble is my middle name I guess."

Aang stood too, saying, "Don't worry guys. After we meet the masters tomorrow I'm sure we can all leave."

Spara appeared beside me again, and both Aang and I jumped. Aang even made a noise shouting, "Aah!" Spara winced at his shout.

Zuko jumped looking at both of us with confusion. "What? What's wrong?"

"A sp- spirit?" Aang stuttered out.

Spara smirked at Aang and bowed a little. _"Hello Avatar… My name is Spara. I once was Priestess here and I met one of your past lives." _She then looked over at me. "_I heard what the Avatar said. You're not going anywhere my Princess." _It was almost a threat, and she disappeared once more. Aang stared at where she had been with bewilderment.

"Who was that?" Aang asked, looking over at me with utter confusion.

I scowled. "An annoying spirit who won't leave me alone. She's the one that got me captured in the first place."

"Because you were chasing after voices?" Aang shook his head. "What does this teach you, Amber?"

I hung my head. "I'm way too curious for my own good."

That night we all got some sleep and were woken bright and early by Sena. Sena first woke Zuko and Aang, telling them to head outside where breakfast was waiting for them. They looked unsure if they should leave, but I smiled letting them know it was okay. They left the room then shoving through the sheet which fell back into place once they were gone. Sena bowed holding some fabric in her hands. "I've brought you proper clothing for today. If you are to meet the masters, you must be dressed appropriately."

"I'd rather not," I began.

Sena shook her head. "You must! It is the Chief's order. He will not take you to the masters until you follow the customs of us Sun Warriors."

I scowled and tightened my fist. I didn't want to be a Sun Warrior. The Chief was starting to annoy me. "Fine," I muttered. Taking the clothes from her, I asked trying to calm my anger, "Have you met the masters?"

She nodded. "All Sun Warriors who come of age must meet the masters to be deemed worthy."

"And if you aren't worthy?"

She hung her head a bit. "The masters destroy you."

My eyes widened in horror. So Spara wasn't kidding earlier about those unworthy dying. What if the masters didn't deem my brother and Aang worthy...? Would they kill them?

Getting dressed, I saw I was now wearing a dark red tube top that had no sleeves and gold trim on the edges. It covered my chest and that was about it. My bottom was tight black shorts that hit mid-thigh, and over the shorts a fire red skirt that was split on the sides. The skirt brushed my knees. Also the skirt had gold trim on the edges as well. Sena came back a few moments later and handed me gold bands to put on my arms. She also placed red paint around my eyes to make me even more a part of her people. When she finished, she stared at my water tribe and fire nation bracelets then, noticing them for the first time.

"This blue bracelet… Does it mean something to you?" She asked, pointing at the bracelet given to me a few years ago. She saw pain shoot across my face. She quickly bowed saying, "Forgive me my princess. I shouldn't have asked."

I shook my head. "No… It's fine." Twisting the water tribe bracelet, I answered her previous question. "My water tribe mother gave it to me. She passed away a few years ago."

She was surprised. "You've suffered loss?"

"In a way I'm still human like you," I said. "I've suffered more than just loss over the years."

She nodded, taking in what I spoke. She did my hair then, letting it stay loose but putting a golden headband on me. "There… You're ready to meet the masters now."

Emerging outside, I winced at the sudden rising sunlight that hit my eyes. When I got outside, I looked around immediately for Aang and Zuko. They were seated on some ancient ruin stairs that led to a Sun Warriors home, and they were eating some fruits that were unfamiliar to me. Walking over to them, I saw the other Sun Warriors stared over at me with shock. Crossing my arms self-consciously, I plopped down in between Zuko and Aang who looked at me bewildered. Aang held his fruit to his mouth but didn't bite down, his eyes wide as he took in my appearance. Zuko was speechless.

I was annoyed. "Do we really have to see the masters? Can't was just go back?"

They didn't say anything, and I looked at the both of them with question. Aang finally spoke, "Amber… You look… Wow…"

"I look like I'm going to the beach," I muttered.

Aang exclaimed, "No you don't. You look like a Sun Warrior princess!" That only made me cringe.

"You need more clothes," Zuko muttered.

"It's not like I want to dress like this," I whined, rubbing my bare arms with a deep blush.

The Chief approached us then, bowing to me when he reached where we sat. "You look radiant, my princess. Once you have eaten breakfast we will head out to meet the masters."

"The masters aren't here?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Ran and Shaw await there," he pointed behind him at a very high mountain in the distance. "Once there, your friends will meet the masters first and be judged. Then you will have your turn to meet the masters."

Zuko scooted closer to me as if to protect me from the Chief. Aang spoke up saying, "Amber isn't coming with us?"

"The Spirit of Fire must meet the masters alone. No need to fear though. Huo met the masters many years ago," High Priest Gee suddenly said, approaching us as well. Sena walked behind him with a tray of breakfast. She placed it down at my feet and I thanked her softly.

After I ate, which was only a moon peach and some other sweet type of fruit, we began to make our way. We walked through the ruins toward the large pyramid at the end of the city. Sun Warrior men were flanked around me, Chief Gwo, and the High Priest Gee. Zuko and Aang were shoved behind us, and I looked back every now and then with worry. Aang seemed anxious as we headed toward the masters, and Zuko's emotions were hard to read.

Eventually we climbed the steps of the pyramid at the center of the ruins and I shivered a bit at the chill. I would've loved to be wearing my water tribe shirt and pants at the moment. This outfit felt like I was barely wearing anything.

When we got halfway up the pyramid I gasped. A large heat source was up ahead, and I could sense it was huge. The Chief looked over at me as we ascended the steps. "You sense the fire?"

I looked away a bit embarrassed. "Guess that's what I get for being connected to fire so much."

We reached the top finally and Aang, Zuko, and I dropped our jaw at what we saw. We'd entered a platform with a dome shaped roof being held up by old cracked columns. There was one wall in front of us, and that wall had the carving of a giant flame on it. In the very center of the carving was a real flame that burned brightly. The warmth coming off of it felt very nice on my cold skin.

The warriors all got into three rows and sat on their knees. The High Priest stood on one side of the flame's carving, using his cane for support. I was surprised all those stairs hadn't worn him out.

The Chief led myself, Aang, and Zuko to the front of the warriors so that we were closest to the flame. He looked at the three of us with emotions I couldn't decipher. "If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to Man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

At that moment I highly doubted this flame was the first flame ever given to the world, but I kept my mouth shut. Zuko on the other hand was bewildered, and he said at my side, "I don't believe it…"

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of fire bending," The Chief said.

Aang stepped forward a bit looking nervous. "Um, Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah... I'm not a fire bender yet. Couldn't one of my friends here carry my fire for me?"

The Chief shook his head firmly saying, "No." He turned then and grabbed some fire from the eternal flame. Turning back he handed the flame to Zuko who took it in his hands with amazement. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat." The man turned holding a flame out to Aang too. "The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control."

Aang slowly reached forward, sweat beading down his forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." He took the flame from the chief then and gasped. "It's like a little heartbeat."

The Chief smiled at Aang. "Fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flames up there." He pointed to the mountainous rocks he had pointed at earlier. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

He looked at me then, and I stepped forward ready to receive my own flame. "You will be presenting your own fire to the masters, my princess. Your friends must trek up the mountain on their own. We will meet them at the top." I looked back at Zuko and Aang who were still holding their flames. They looked at me with shock.

I frowned at the thought of leaving them again. "See you guys up there I guess..."

They left us then, headed toward the large rocky mountains in the distance. The Chief led myself and the other Sun Warriors down the pyramid behind Zuko and Aang, and when we hit the ground he headed opposite from my brother and the Avatar. We walked a different way toward the mountains, and I had a feeling our way was smoother.

"Ham Gao… You keep an eye on our princess. Make sure she stays put until her time to meet Ran and Shaw," the Chief whispered to a man beside him who was tall and bone skinny. I don't think I was supposed to hear their conversation.

"_Ooh… Looks like the Chief isn't expecting your friends to survive," _Spara joked, making me jump as she appeared beside me. _"They probably won't." _I glared at her from the corner of my eyes. She smiled innocently at me and continued to speak. _"You know… I like you better than Huo. He used to brush me off like I was a fly and threaten to burn me every five minutes."_

"Well you are kind of annoying," I muttered under my breath. She smirked and disappeared, and I had a feeling my words meant nothing to her.

My feet started to ache after twenty minutes of walking. The rocks were digging into my bare skin and I felt once or twice a sharp pain as something dug in too hard and drew blood. I kept my pain to myself.

When we finally reached the rocky mountain area the sun was just starting to reach the center of the sky. We arrived in a large open area where rocks jutted around us almost placing us in a closed in platform. Stairs led up toward a very long bridge that went from one rock formation to the other. The Sun Warriors I was with quickly got into positions, and I saw them light some large torches around us. The skinny man Ham Gao, High Priest Gee, and Chief Gwo stayed beside me as we waited for Zuko and Aang to arrive. We'd taken a short cut, and they had gone the long way.

Finally, after waiting an extra thirty minutes or so, Aang and Zuko finally arrived on the mountain we were on. I went to run forward. "You made it!" Ham Gao grabbed my arm with his skinny hand pulling me back. I winced at his hold and glared at him. He smirked. "Not so rash, my princess." The Chief shot the stick of a man a warning, and Ham Gao let me go. I rubbed my forearm wincing at the pain.

The Chief walked over to Aang and Zuko then, who had seen Ham Gao grab me and weren't pleased. Chief Gwo spoke then. "Facing the judgment of the fire bending masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors," the chief began looking at Zuko, "are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearances. The masters might not be so happy to see you." I gritted my teeth. I knew the chief was wrong. He had to be.

"I know I wouldn't be," Ham Gao hissed beside me, and I tightened my fist ready to punch the man I didn't know in his jaw.

Aang tried to keep things light. "But once they find out I'm the Avatar..."

The Chief cut him off. "Have you forgotten that you vanished allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden too."

I scowled and crossed my arms trying not to say anything. They were being really cruel right now.

The Chief indicated it was time to get started then, and he took a flame in both of his hands from both Zuko and Aang. Turning, he handed the flames off to the Sun Warriors around us who began to bend the fire in large circles.

Aang said softly to Zuko, "We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." He held his flame up to indicate he could maintain a flame.

Zuko shook his head. "No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them."

Aang seemed worried. "What if they judge us and attack us?"

Zuko gave him a reassuring smile. "Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar. I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." Aang smiled a bit, feeling reassured. Zuko looked over at the chief saying with confidence, "Bring them out!"

The Chief nodded saying, "Chanters!"

Drums began to pound around us, and I was shocked at the loud instruments. Where had those come from? As the drums pounded, I saw the Sun Warriors around me increase their circles of fire. Zuko and Aang began to head up the very long steps toward the bridge above. I stepped forward with worry, but the Chief grabbed my shoulder. "They will be fine, my princess. There is no need to worry."

When Zuko and Aang finally reached the top of the stairs after a good five minutes the drums stopped. They both stood on the middle of the bridge, and from the distance I watched with worry. A Sun Warrior beside me pulled up a giant swirled sort of tool and said inside it, "Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire!" His voice echoed through the air and I winced a bit at how loud he was.

Spara appeared beside me then, her eyes bright. _"This should be interesting."_

"Sound the call!" The Chief's voice made me jump, and I looked over to see a man with a huge horn. He blew it creating a low alto sound that echoed through the air.

Sweat beaded down my forehead as I heard nothing. Then it happened. The whole mountain we were on began to shake and the warriors around me all dropped to their knees. The other warriors continued to spin their wheels of fire. I went to bow like the others but Spara stopped me. _"You don't bow to the masters… They bow to you." _She then giggled. _"Looks like the avatar just lost his flame… Ooh! And your brother did too!" _My eyes widened as I saw what she was talking about. Aang and Zuko no longer had flames in their palms, and they were standing side by side.

Something shot out of both sides of the cave then, and I gasped in shock. Dragons? The masters were dragons!

A blue dragon and a red dragon shot through the air, both of them almost fifty feet long. They had spikes on their backs and their wings were huge. They began to circle in spiral motions around Aang and Zuko. I felt terror fill inside me. These giant beasts would devour them if they did not deem Aang and Zuko worthy. Taking a step forward, I felt Spara grab my arm to stop me. _"It's too late now…"_

Ham Gao, who was bowing beside me, said with excitement. "Oh, here it comes. Any moment now... dinner for the masters!"

"Quiet Ham Gao," the Chief hissed.

He snapped, "What? Everyone's thinking it."

I felt my blood run cold.

Yanking from Spara, I saw Aang and Zuko were moving on the bridge, and they were doing something. From the distance it looked like some type of dance. When they finished the dragons stopped circling, and they stopped on the bridge facing both Aang and Zuko. Their back claws used the stairs to hold them up, and their front claws used the bridge.

"Judgment time," the Chief said, still bowing nearby.

The dragons shot fire at Aang and Zuko, and I gasped as it encircled them. However there was something different about this fire. This fire was similar to my own fire. It was beautiful. The colors were vibrant and painted the air around Zuko and Aang. The fire was not eager to destroy, but to show beauty and life. The fire sent warmth through me. When the dragons Ran and Shaw stopped blowing fire at my brother and Aang, they took off in the sky disappearing above the clouds.

Aang and Zuko headed back down the steps then, and the Sun Warrior chief rose. The High Priest rose as well and walked over to me saying, "As soon as your friends return create a flame and head on up. The masters are eager to meet you."

They eventually reached the ground and walked over the Chief, priest, and myself. Zuko spoke as soon as he reached us. "Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined."

Aang smiled. "Yeah… It was like Amber's fire, only intensified. It looked like fire bending harmony to me."

The chief nodded. "Yes. They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of fire bending."

Zuko seemed relieved. "I can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

Aang asked, "So your uncle lied?"

The Chief smiled. "Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well." Zuko and I widened our eyes in surprise.

Zuko smiled. "He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."

Aang added, "All this time, I thought fire bending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is... it's energy, and life."

Zuko thought over what Aang said. "Yeah. It's like the Sun, but inside of you. Do you guys realize this?" He said the last part to the chief.

The Chief smirked. "Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors... so yeah."

Zuko continued ,facing Aang. "That's why my fire bending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you was my drive... it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world."

The Chief said then with hard eyes, "Now that you have what you need you may leave… The Spirit of Fire will see the masters now, and you two are no longer welcome."

Aang looked shocked. "What? We can't just leave Amber!" Zuko inched closer to me as if he was ready to grab me so we could run.

The Chief stepped closer, saying, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. The Spirit of Fire must stay here where she belon-"

A growl sounded above us, and we jumped looking up in shock. Shadows overlapped us all as the dragons returned from the clouds above. The Chief and High Priest gasped taking steps back. Ran and Shaw suddenly flew down toward me, and the warriors scrambled as the dragons landed right in front of me. The ground shook when their massive bodies landed. I backed away with amazement, and Zuko and Aang stood behind me backing away also. The warriors all dropped to their hands and knees again not wanting the dragons to fry them.

The red dragon who I quickly caught on to be Ran, growled at the Sun Warriors around him, and looked at me with wise eyes. Spara appeared beside me again saying, _"What's going on? The masters never approach us!"_

Ran suddenly twisted his head so his neck was lying against the ground. He wanted me to hop on his back so I could ride on him. Without thinking twice, I rushed forward and grabbed onto Ran's spike climbing on. Shaw pressed his nose on my foot helping me up onto his brother.

"What! The masters have never allowed another to ride on them," the High Priest exclaimed. "Not even Huo."

The giant blue dragon Shaw looked at me then, and I gasped when I heard him speak to me. His mouth did not move, but I heard his voice in my head.

"_You and your friends must come with us. The Sun Warriors do not plan on allowing you to leave. Ran and I will get you to safety."_

My eyes widened. A dragon was talking to me! What! How?

"_Focus Spirit of Fire!" _Shaw snapped, growling to get my attention._ "Tell your friends to get on with you. Be quick. The Sun Warriors will try to stop you."_

Quickly I gathered myself. Shooting my head toward Aang and Zuko, I shouted, "Get on!" They looked at me with bewilderment, while the Chief stood with horror. I gestured for them to hurry up. "Come on! We have to go!"

Aang and Zuko did as I ordered and rushed toward us. Ran bent his head down again allowing both Aang and Zuko to hop on. They sat behind me, and as soon as they were seated I heard all chaos break loose.

The Chief shouted. "Stop! The Spirit of Fire is escaping! We must not lose her!"

Spara shouted at Shaw and Ran with fury, _"What are you doing?!" _Shaw growled at her, and I immediately could tell he saw and heard her. She backed away with shock, and then hung her head in defeat. Ran stood then, and we gasped as we were lifted into the air.

The warriors quickly stood but they did not know what to do. They couldn't just fire at us. They would be firing at the masters too.

The woman Sena pleaded, "Stop! Spirit of Fire! We need you!"

I shook my head. "No… You don't. You've been doing fine without me so far."

Ran suddenly smashed his massive wings down and we took flight into the air. As soon as we left the earth, all three of us cried out as we tried to grab onto something. Zuko grabbed onto my waist as I slid back, and used his other hand to grab onto one of Ran's massive spikes. Aang who sat behind us, held onto one of Ran's other spikes as we flew up in the air. The wind was hard on all of us as we took flight, but once we broke above through the clouds and Ran spread his massive wings out to glide through the air, we found it easier to hold on. Looking back down below, I saw we were free from the Sun Warriors at last. They were nowhere to be seen and I felt relieved. Zuko and Aang both sighed behind me, and I felt Zuko's hold on my waist release as he relaxed too.

Shaw came up beside us, and I looked over at him as we soared through the sky. "Thank you," I said to him.

The dragon's pupils were pointed directly at me as we continued to soar above the clouds.

"_No… Thank you, young Spirit of Fire… My brother and I have heard of you from whispers in the air. We know of what you're doing for this world. You are returning the true meaning of fire to all people, which is something Ran and I have been trying to do for ages. You are nothing like Huo. His fire may have been beautiful, but it was filled with control and desire. From what I hear, your fire is filled with passion and love. You use your fire to protect and not destroy."_

I blushed and looked down, flattered by Shaw's compliment.

Ran also said to me in my head, _"The Sun Warriors have all become cowards over the years. I'm sorry they tried to imprison you."_

"I can't believe this!" Zuko exclaimed, cutting off Ran's voice from my head. I guessed I was the only one who heard what the dragons said. "We're on a dragon! We're on an actual dragon!" Ran roared as if to tell Zuko 'you're welcome'.

Aang asked, "You think the others will believe it?"

I shook my head saying to him over the wind in my ear, "I doubt it! They'll think we hit our heads on the ruins or something."

Ran shot downward then, and we all grabbed onto his spikes once more so we didn't fly off. When we broke through the clouds I saw Ran headed toward the very edge of the ruins, miles away from where we left the Sun Warriors only a few minutes ago. Ran reached the ground then, using his wings to flap one last time before hitting the dirt. Dust flew up around us at the dragon's impact. When he was standing on his four legs, he drew his wings to him and bent his head down so the three of us could slide off.

Landing on the dirt, we saw Shaw fly down toward us as well and land on the other side of us across from his brother. When he landed the ground shook. Ran bowed his head at me, saying to me, _"It was an honor to meet you, Princess Amber."_

Shaw said from behind, _"My brother and I wish you a safe journey on your quest." _They took off then, both dragons soaring through the sky and disappearing in the clouds above. Once the sound of their growls and wings went away, an awkward silence fell between all three of us. We were all speechless at everything that had occurred.

"So…" Aang finally said after a few minutes of heavy silence. "What now?"

Zuko recovered, saying, "Um... We better find Appa before the Sun Warriors find us." My eyes were still planted on the sky, and I jumped when I felt a warm hand rest on my shoulder. Turning my eyes, I shot Zuko a look of question. He smiled weakly, "Good thing you're the Spirit of Fire I guess… Otherwise the dragons would've left us to rot."

"I'm just glad I got away from the Sun Warriors. Those psycho's were going to make me their princess forever," I said softly.

Aang spoke up. "Good thing we escaped… Let's never come back here again."

Zuko nodded. "I can live with that."

I sighed. "I learned two things today, though," I began. The two stared at me with question. "Number one, I really don't like being bowed to. And number two," I crossed my arms shivering a bit as a cold breeze hit my skin. "Sun Warriors don't know what clothing is."

"There's some blankets back with Appa," Aang said. "We'll have you warm in no time."

We started to walk through the forest and away from the ruins. Zuko asked as we walked, "What happened to your pack and shoes anyway?"

I muttered, "The Sun Warriors stole them from me." I winced as I stepped on a rock sticking out of the ground. "I should've searched for my shoes at least."

To my utter relief, Aang pulled out his bison whistle and only five minutes later Appa plopped down near us. Aang quickly exclaimed, "Boy Appa, are we glad to see you!" We quickly got on Appa then, and all three of us fell in the saddle with exhaustion. We didn't even move once we got into the saddle, all of us too tired to do anything. Appa took flight without even being told to, and we leaned back against the saddle trying to gather our thoughts. Once we recovered Aang went into one of the few packs we brought and yanked out a thin water tribe blanket. Placing it gently on my shoulders, I grabbed both sides gratefully. Aang sat back down against the saddle, deciding Appa could get us back to the others without direction.

"Well, look at the bright side to all of this," Zuko suddenly said. It was the first time I'd heard him try to cheer anyone up. "We figured out how to fire bend, we got to ride a dragon, and we learned that The Sun Warriors are all crazy nut jobs. I say our adventure was a blast!"

"A blast?" Aang said, raising his eyebrow. "You feeling okay, Zuko?"

"Never better… I feel free. This is the most fun I've had my whole life!" he said, and his words took me off guard. Zuko was happy. He was enjoying himself. It put me at ease seeing Zuko in such a light mood after everything that had happened.

Night came as we continued to fly through the sky. We stopped Appa for the night to let him rest, and the next day we were flying again. When we finally made it back to the Western Air Temple, we were almost elated to be back. Then when we landed, and the others came to greet us, I remembered something. Shooting my eyes toward Sokka and Kale, I saw they were stomping through the rest of the group toward Appa, and they were annoyed.

Oh crap… I forgot… I didn't tell them I was leaving. They were going to lock me in my room for a week. Quickly I pulled my blanket tighter, sliding off of Appa behind Zuko and Aang. Walking over to Sokka and Kale, I saw Aang and Zuko looked over at them with question.

"What's up with you two?" Aang asked.

Sokka snapped, "What's up with us? You guys took Amber with you! I thought we told you she wasn't going!"

Aang looked at me with shock. "You told us they changed their minds! You lied?!"

Katara quickly stepped forward, defending me. "It was my idea… Don't blame her. She didn't really even want to go."

Kale walked over to me pulling me into a hug. His warmth actually felt nice, even through the blanket. "You had us worried sick! Stop running off!"

"Where are your clothes? What happened to you guys?" Sokka asked suddenly.

The earth shook and we all gasped looking over at Toph. She crossed her arms saying, "Come on guys… Let them at least unpack before you bombard them with questions."

Looking up at Kale, I said, "Sorry for always worrying you."

He sighed, "I'm just glad you're safe." He kissed me on the forehead, and I smiled glad to be back.

At lunch time we sat around in a circle, and the others listened to us as we began to tell our story. Katara had found me a water tribe shirt and some trousers by then and I felt much more comfortable. Sitting and eating some fish that Sokka and Kale must've caught, Aang exclaimed, "You guys aren't going to believe what happened. Just wait until you hear this!"

The story began, and I sat back against a column eating my fish. Kale sat beside me listening to what Aang had to say. It was good to back with the others and away from those crazy Sun Warriors. I'd had enough being a princess for one day.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. I didn't want to make this chapter line by line from the episode so I made Amber twist it up a little. Let me know what you all thought! Thanks for reading! =D**

**Also, just a heads up, I'm not sure if the next chapter will be done as soon as this one. I'll be busy these next two weeks. I'll update as soon as I can though. ;)**


	15. Crash Landing

**A/N: Finished "The Boiling Rock: Part 1". I'm almost done with part 2, so hopefully I'll have it posted in a few days. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Your comments and advice are so encouraging.**

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><p>"<em>Daddy!" I cried, my nine year old self running across the snow toward my water tribe father. He was seated at the campfire sipping some hot tea and enjoying the morning air. He wore his fur coat and heavy boots which told me he was going on a hunt for meat today with the other men. They went on hunts three times a week to feed the tribe. The sun was starting to rise in the sky and the air was getting warmer. Rushing over to him, I beamed when I saw him look my way. He placed his wooden teacup down in the snow and held his arms out toward me. Running into his arms, he pulled me up and sat me on his lap. His warmth felt nice.<em>

"_Hey sunshine," he said. "What are you doing up so early?"_

"_I always wake up at sunrise," I said softly. "Whenever the sun comes up I can't sleep."_

_He sighed. "I was wondering where you were this morning. Out fire bending again?"_

_I nodded. "I shot a full flame this morning Daddy! I wish you could've seen it!"_

_He hugged me close to him. "Maybe tomorrow morning I'll go out and watch you practice."_

_Nodding, I exclaimed, "I'd like that!" _

_He kissed me on the side of my head. "Want some tea? I made a fresh pot a few minutes ago." Nodding, I stood from my dad's lap and plopped down beside him on the log he sat on. _

"_I love tea!"_

_He picked up his empty tea cup and a pot of tea he must've heated on the fire. Pouring me some of the leaf flavored hot water, he handed the cup to me and I pressed my hands tightly to it enjoying the warmth on my bare hands. Sipping the tea, I felt joy fill inside me. "It's so good daddy!"_

_He wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me to his side. "I'm glad you like it. Katara and Sokka don't want anything to do with my tea."_

"_They don't know what their missing!" I exclaimed, downing the warm liquid._

_My father laughed. "You're one special girl Kaya." He pulled me closer to him and I shut my eyes content in my father's hold. "I love you so much."_

Leaning against one of the columns, I let out a hard sigh as I pulled my eyes away from the stars up above. My hand pressed to my cheek as I wiped away a tear that had fallen. It had been a week since the whole sun warrior thing, which meant my father had been imprisoned for almost two weeks. The thought of my dad being prisoner to the Fire Nation made me sick to my stomach. Shutting my eyes, I tried to push away my worries but it didn't work. Dad was in prison, and who knew what he was going through at the moment.

Footsteps approached and I recognized whose they were without even having to look behind me. Crossing my arms, I pressed my head against the column I was leaning against and stared at the darkness in front of me. The moon was blocked by stray clouds, so there wasn't much light.

"It's late… Can't sleep?"

"No," I whispered. Kale stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Leaning back against him, I let out a heavy sigh. "My mind's too busy."

He stayed silent for a moment, and I wondered what he was thinking. Finally he spoke. "Thinking about your father?"

I hung my head. How could he read me so well? Was he a mind reader?

"Is it really that obvious?"

He took his hands from my waist and grabbed my shoulder. Forcing me to turn, he cupped my cheek softly. "No… I just know you. When you don't sleep it's because you're worried about someone else." He pressed his forehead to my own, and I shut my eyes glad to not be alone anymore. "It's not healthy to worry about others twenty-four seven. You need to worry about your own health too."

"It's impossible not to worry. I feel like I could've done something… Dad… Kuro… Coal… they were all captured, and I just stood there doing nothing. I'm the Spirit of Fire, but what good is that if I'm useless? Huo probably could've saved them if he still possessed the power I took from him… I feel so weak sometimes."

"Hey!" Kale cried, and he pulled away from my face grabbing my shoulders. It was dark, but from what little light there was I saw he was agonized by what I had said. "Don't you dare put the blame on yourself! You may be the Spirit of Fire but you're still human too. We were all there. You're not the only one who lost that day Amber."

I pressed my face to his chest shutting my eyes hard. Why did I always have to cry? I hated being a cry baby. Kale wrapped his arms around me again and I felt his hand rest in my hair trying to comfort me.

"Stop blaming yourself all the time. You're not alone," he whispered. "You did your best."

Kale held me for a few more minutes, letting me get all of my emotions out. When I finally calmed, I pulled away from Kale and wiped my tearstained face with the top of my shirt. He kept an arm around my shoulders as we both headed back through the temple toward where we were sleeping. When we got back to the group, I saw everyone was still sound asleep.

Kale kissed me on the forehead, wished me goodnight, and started to head toward his sleeping mat. Before he got too far, I grabbed his hand and stopped him. He looked at me, and from the embers of the campfire I saw he was curious to hear what I had to say.

"Thanks for always being there for me Kale… I love you," I said softly, so I didn't wake up the others.

He broke the distance and grabbed my face gently kissing me on the lips. When he pulled away he said softly, "I love you too… Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He left me then, maneuvering his way around Sokka and Aang who were passed out. He managed to reach his sleeping mat and lie down.

Heading back over to my own sleeping mat, I lied down as well and pulled the blanket tight around me. Kale was right… I needed to stop blaming myself. Shutting my eyes, I drifted into sleep and was glad no nightmares came.

When morning came a few hours later, someone nudged me in the shoulder causing me to jump awake. Scowling, I grabbed my blanket pulling it farther over me not wanting to be bothered.

"Amber… Wake up," Sokka said. "We can't get the fire started for breakfast."

Rolling over, I got into a fetal position wishing to be left alone. The sun was up, but I didn't want to get out of my safe blanket. "Ask Zuko or Aang to do it."

The blanket was yanked away from me, and I cringed as cold hit my skin. "Their training this morning. Wakeup! You can't sleep the day away."

"Five more minutes," I begged.

"Amber… Come on," Sokka said, nudging me with his foot. I didn't move.

"I've got this Sokka," Toph said. A minute passed and nothing happened. I sighed starting to fall asleep again. Something began to slide across my leg though, and I gasped when the first scenario came to my head.

Screaming, I kicked the ratsnake off of me and scrambled to my feet. Turning to the two people standing near me, I felt my insides boil. Sokka broke into laughter, and Toph beamed holding the long green vine in her hand. "Great! Princess is awake now!"

I gritted my teeth. "I thought there was a ratsnake on me!"

Toph smirked. "That was the point."

Sokka was still laughing as he said, "You should've seen your face! You looked terrified! I've never seen you jump like that before!"

"Guys, stop messing with her," Kale suddenly said, coming over. He was trying really hard not to laugh at my reaction though, and I crossed my arms with a scowl.

Footsteps approached us suddenly as Aang and Zuko ran around the corner. Aang looked anxious, while Zuko looked worried. "What happened?" Aang looked around at us. "We heard screaming!"

Sokka and Toph burst into laughter again, and Kale sighed shaking his head in disbelief. I glared daggers at the two. "It's not funny!" My whines only made them laugh more.

Zuko asked this time, "What's going on?"

I huffed. "These jerks scared me to death!"

Toph dangled the vine again. "Look out Amber. The ratsnakes going to get you!" Her and Sokka laughed harder, and I glanced over to see Aang trying hard not to laugh. Even Zuko smiled a little trying to suppress his own laugh.

"Stop! It's not funny!" I whined. They only laughed harder. I huffed and stomped off annoyed by the group. I knew they were having fun, but I wasn't in the mood.

When I found Katara a few minutes later at the campfire, I walked over to her and quickly shot a flame at the wood. She jumped at my sudden presence, but smiled glad to see me. "How'd you sleep?" She was stitching up a shirt that belonged to someone. Plopping down beside her, I stared at the fire that was starting to grow as it ate the wood. "I was fine until Sokka and Toph started messing with me… How about you?"

She sighed, saying softly, "I had a bad dream, but it's no big deal."

I looked at her troubled face with worry. "You want to talk about it?"

She hung her head. "I dreamed about dad… I dreamed he was being tortured by the Fire Nation. I'm just really worried."

Frowning, I said softly, "We'll get him back… I know we will."

Later that night we were all seated around the campfire. Zuko had made us all some tea, of course with some assistance from Kale. I'd come over to them while they were making the tea and heard them bickering. It was amusing watching my boyfriend and brother snapping at each other over a pot of tea.

Sitting by the fire, I watched as Zuko began to pass wooden cups of tea around to everyone in the group. Haru, The Duke, and Teo had joined us especially since it was dinner time. Kale sat beside me eating the steamed fish I'd prepared for everyone. Katara and I had been taking turns cooking over the last few days.

While Zuko handed out the tea, he said, "No one can make tea like Uncle. But hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?"

I smirked. This should be interesting. Zuko wasn't known to be good at telling jokes.

Katara shrugged, being the one to answer. "Sure." She was trying to be more civil toward Zuko, especially after she realized that Zuko wasn't going to kidnap Aang anytime soon. She still didn't completely trust him but she was being nice. I sighed with relief.

"I like jokes," Aang suddenly chimed.

Toph added, "Bring it."

"Okay," Zuko began still passing out the tea. He got to me and Kale, and I smiled at him encouragingly. He smiled back and continued, "Well, I can't remember how it starts but the punch is, "Leaf me alone, I'm bushed."" Silence fell over the group as we took in Zuko's confusing joke. He stared at all of us a bit embarrassed. "Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

Katara added, sipping her tea, "Right. Maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing."

The group laughed at what Katara said, and I was relieved to see Zuko smile glad to see everyone else happy. The group broke into conversation after Zuko handed them all tea, and I watched as he walked over to Sokka who had been seated away from the group. From the distance, I saw Sokka say something to Zuko. Sokka stood and Zuko placed the tray he was holding with the remaining teacups down. They walked away from us toward the edge of the platform we were on. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

Sokka had that look on his face. The very look he made when he was thinking about doing something really stupid.

_Sitting on a pile of snow, I watched my fourteen year old brother with concern as he stared off into the ocean. He was mad at everyone for constantly calling him a cute kid. He wanted to be a warrior. We hadn't seen dad for almost three years, and in that time Sokka had grown stronger and stronger. He wanted to be with the other warriors, fighting beside them. Some of the troops had returned a few months ago to check on the village and bring supplies, and when they arrived Sokka asked to join them. They all laughed, and one of my father's friends had said, "Don't rush it kid. Your dad wants you taking care of your sisters." After that I'd noticed Sokka wasn't his self. He seemed almost depressed._

_Katara and I sat on the patch of snow not sure what to do. Katara was thirteen, still the baby of the family. I was the same age as Sokka, but none of us actually knew my true age. They guessed since I had no memory, and I didn't really mind._

_We'd been sitting in silence for a few minutes. We had left the village early in the morning to go find some wood for the campfire. Driftwood washed up on the icy shore from islands in the distance, and we'd been gathering some for most of the morning. Sokka was still gathering sticks when he began to question what dad and the warriors were doing. We told Sokka they were probably out fighting more fire nation ships and trying to end the war, like we always told him. He got really depressed and somber after that. _

_Katara finally broke the silence. "Sokka… You okay?" _

_He nodded. "Yeah… Just thinking."_

_Standing, I walked over to him asking, "About dad and the warriors?"_

_He nodded again. "I wish I could be with them." He pressed his hand to his head thinking hard about something. _

_I placed a hand on his shoulder. "There will be other battles Sokka… You'll get your chance one day."_

_He yanked from me and turned. "No! I'm ready now!" He took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I've thought it over. I'm taking one of the canoes and heading north toward the Earth Kingdom. I'm going to find the warriors!"_

"_What!" Katara and I cried at the same time. My sister jumped in Sokka's path as he started to walk away from us. "What are you saying? Have you gone crazy?!"_

_My brother shoved past her as he headed down the coastline toward where we kept the canoes near the village. Running after him, I grabbed his hand to stop him. "Sokka! You can't just go drifting off in a canoe in the middle of the ocean! That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard you say!"_

_He yanked his hand from my own, snapping, "Leave me alone Kaya! I'm going and you can't stop me!"_

_Katara stepped beside me, and I saw her blue eyes fill with tears. "What about us? Are you just going to abandon us like dad did? We need you Sokka."_

_My brother stopped walking, and he hung his head as he realized he couldn't leave. If he left, he'd be abandoning Katara and me. I sighed, relieved my brother had come to his senses._

Placing my teacup down, I watched as Sokka returned to the group a few minutes after him and Zuko had walked off. He had that look in his eyes still, and I knew he was hiding something. Zuko seemed to think the same thing, because I saw him eying Sokka with suspicion.

After dinner I made my move. Zuko walked away from the group heading back to his room. As he headed back I tailed him crossing my arms ready to get an answer. Sokka had been acting strange all through dinner, laughing at the dumbest comments, and darting his eyes around anxiously. I was dying to know what he spoke about with Zuko.

We eventually reached his room and he turned to me as soon as we got to the doorway. He'd known I was tailing him the whole time, and he knew why. "If you want to know what Sokka talked to me about, then you're wasting your time tailing me. I'm not going to tell you because I know you'll want to get involved."

I frowned. "Get involved? What is Sokka planning?" Zuko sighed turning and leaving me at the doorway. Walking in the room, I followed him. "I know something's going on. Sokka has this look on his face, like he's about to do something rash and dumb."

"Did I ever tell you how perceptive you are," Zuko muttered, walking over to his makeshift bed which was a flat raised slab of earth with a blanket and pillow. He grabbed his pack on his stone bed and began to look through it not even looking my way. "Don't worry… I told him not to do what he's thinking about doing. Hopefully he'll get some sense and change his mind."

I wanted answers. It was so frustrating that Zuko was avoiding my questions. "What is he thinking about doing?"

He sighed, looking over at me with uncertainty. "I would tell you, but if I did you'd do something rash yourself."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned against the doorway. "If he's doing something that could hurt him, I want to know. Sokka can get into some crazy situations when he's not thinking straight."

"You know him so well," Zuko suddenly said, and I heard pain in his voice. It took me a bit off guard. Why was he so glum all of the sudden? It hit me only a moment later. He was jealous of me and Sokka's relationship.

Stepping over to him, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know him that well, but what I do know is he acts before he thinks. If he's about to do something that will put him in danger you need to tell me." Zuko crossed his arms. "Please Zuko… If something happens to him, I'll never forgive myself."

He let out a hard sigh. "Fine…" Turning to me, he answered, "Sokka wanted to know where war prisoners are taken by the Fire Nation after their captured. I told him they go to a high security prison known as the Boiling Rock. I even told him where it is."

My eyes widened. I slapped my forehead in disbelief. "That idiots going to try and find father?!" I shook my head. "I have to stop him." Turning, I went to leave but Zuko grabbed my arm to stop me.

"No. I'll handle it. If you try to stop him it will only make him want to go more," Zuko said. "I'll talk to him. I'll try to change his mind when he attempts to sneak off tonight."

"How do you know he's sneaking off tonight?"

Zuko smiled weakly. "It's something I would do."

Later that night I lied down and listened to Sokka's sleeping. He pretended to snore, and I narrowed my eyes in the dark knowing he was going to the prison. After an hour of lying there on the ground, I heard Sokka make his move. He slowly got out of his mat and began to tiptoe around everyone. When I heard his footsteps fade as he got closer to Appa, I made my own move. As quietly as I could, I made my way around the sleeping bodies around me, over a curled up Momo, and toward the giant sleeping flying bison.

Edging closer, I stood behind a column as I watched Sokka walk over to Appa and start to climb. Appa opened his eyes for a moment, and Sokka placed his finger on his lips to shush him. Appa closed his eyes again. Sokka began to climb Appa, a pack on his back, and I went to make my move.

"Not up to anything, huh?"

My eyes widened when Zuko's voice echoed through the air. So he was going to try and stop Sokka. I sighed with relief.

Sokka yelped and fell off of Appa landing on the ground. His pack helped to break his fall. When he gathered himself, I saw Zuko peak his head over Appa's saddle. Sokka looked up at him annoyed. "Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna rescue my Dad. You happy now?"

Zuko stood on the saddle crossing his arms. "I'm never happy."

"Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong," Sokka said, stepping once again toward Appa. Zuko jumped down from Appa and landed beside Sokka. Sokka stood his ground, "It's my mistake and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me Zuko."

Regain his honor… Now where had I heard that before…? My eyes darted to Zuko who seemed taken off guard by what Sokka had said. "You need to regain your honor? Believe me, I get it…" Here it comes. Zuko would stop Sokka from going on this stupid quest. I held my breath hoping he could get through to him. "I'm going with you."

My eyes shot open. What?! Zuko! What are you doing? This wasn't what I hoped he would say.

"No. I have to do this alone," Sokka said and started to climb Appa.

Zuko added in, "How are you going to get there? On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day cares." Why was he helping him? I slapped my forehead in disbelief.

Sokka sighed, hanging his head and dropping back to the earth. Turning to Zuko, he looked at him with question.

From the dark, I saw Zuko looked determined. "We'll take my war balloon."

Sokka nodded, saying, "Fine… Let me write a note to everyone. I'll tell them were going fishing or something." He started to walk off toward the other supplies to grab some paper. The supplies were near me and I inched farther behind the column hoping he didn't see me. Still peeking around, I saw him get closer.

"Sokka," Zuko suddenly said. Sokka stopped and looked back at him with question. "I thought you should know that Amber's aware about all of this."

"What? You told her!" Sokka stepped back over to Zuko. "Why would you do that?"

"She was worried about you," he answered simply. "She interrogated me earlier and I caved in."

Sokka sighed, "That girl…" He covered his face. "She's going to worry like crazy now."

"We could stay," Zuko said.

Sokka shook his head. "No… I'm going. Amber will be fine… We better go before she wakes up though. She'll try and follow us." While they got their things together and prepared a note, I went ahead to the hot air balloon. Making my way across the bridge and climbing the stone stairs that led up to the forest, I felt my insides boil.

What were these two idiots thinking? Were they trying to get themselves killed?

Walking through the forest, I crossed my arms as I tried to cool off. Sokka would get himself killed. He never thought about these things before he did them. He was stubborn, and I would definitely stop him.

Eventually, after pushing through bushes and stumbling over roots, I finally made it to where Zuko's old campsite used to be. Stepping across the open area, I walked over to the large hot air balloon lying on the ground. Leaning against the steel siding, I took in some breaths trying to calm my racing heart. I'd practically run so I wouldn't miss their departure.

I stood against the hot air balloon and waited for a good ten minutes. Finally I heard footsteps and crossed my arms ready to fuss at my brothers. They came into the small clearing, both of them wearing packs on their back and conversing. Zuko said, "She could've just went to the bathroom or something… You really think she might be following us?"

Sokka answered, "Yeah… She's way too persistent for her own good. That's why we need to get out of here before she finds…" When they saw me, both their eyes widened in shock. "…us."

"Too late," Zuko muttered.

Stepping away from the hot air balloon, I said, "Thanks Zuko... You handled it very well." Zuko looked away and crossed his arms from what I could see in the moonlight. He hung his head in shame.

"Stay out of this Amber," Sokka said, standing his ground. "This is my battle. Not yours. I'm the reason the warriors were taken!"

I stood my own ground. "Your battle…? I was there too and let them get captured beside you. You're not to blame Sokka. If anyone's to blame then it's me! I'm the spirit of fire!"

Sokka stormed over to me. "You're wrong… I was the leader, not you. Step away and let us leave."

Stepping up to him, I snapped, "No! I'm not letting you do this. You're going to break into a high security prison! That's crazy!"

"I'm going to save dad," he snapped.

"You're going to get caught," I snapped back.

"You don't trust me."

"I trust you, but I don't trust your judgment."

"My judgment?! I know what I'm doing!"

"No you don't! You're just going off of your instinct again! That almost killed us in the past!"

Sokka scowled. "Step aside Amber. You can't stop me."

He tried to shove past me but I stopped him by grabbing his arm. "You're not going on some crazy quest to save dad! I want to find him and free him as much as you do, but this plan of yours isn't wise. Think about this Sokka... If you get in the prison, then how are you going to get out?"

"I'll figure it out," he said. He yanked his arm away and stepped forward. I backed up inching closer to the hot air balloon so I was in his path.

"I really don't think dad wants you to do this. He wants you to keep safe."

"He'll be happy when he's out of prison," he said with confidence. "Nothing you say will stop me from going."

It hit me then. There was no way I was going to change Sokka's mind. Since that was the case I had to go with my other method. I refused to let Sokka and Zuko both go to a high security prison alone. They would have to choose.

"Fine," I began. "Then how's about this... I'll let you go on your crazy mission, but you have to take me with you." He went to say something but I held up my finger telling him to let me finish. "Either I come with you, or we head back to the temple and pretend this never happened. Choose."

My brothers thought over what I said, both of them contemplating my options. There was no way they would agree to let me come. They shared a look with one another, and I saw Zuko nod slightly. Sokka sighed heavily in defeat. I was so glad he was coming to his senses. He was finally beginning to realize how rash this plan was. "Fine… You can come."

"Good. Then let's-" my breath stopped and I dropped my jaw in shock as I realized what he had said. What! I hadn't expected them to go with my first option at all! Sokka was so against me going to the Sun Warrior Temple last week, so why in the world would he let me come to a high security prison? My hope for returning peacefully to the temple where the others were was destroyed. I had no choice but to go with them.

I still was bewildered. "What? You're serious?"

Sokka walked past me and hopped over the railing of the hot air balloon's steel basket. He held his hand out to me saying, "We better get a move on if we're going to get there by tomorrow."

With bewilderment, I cried, "I thought you would be against me coming with you!"

Zuko managed to hop over the rail of the basket too and land beside Sokka. Sokka still held his hand out impatiently toward me. "I am, but I'm more focused on finding dad. If letting you come means we can go, then get your butt on this balloon."

What had I just signed myself up for?

Ignoring Sokka's hand, I grabbed the rail and hoisted myself up and over without his help. Plopping down on the steel floor with a huff, I crossed my arms and sulked as Zuko began to fire into the hot air balloons vent. As hot air began to fill the balloon, the massive piece of cloth began to inflate above us. The balloon eventually rose from the ground and floated up through the trees into the sky above. It was dark, but eventually we reached the sky and started to head toward the Fire Nation once again.

"I can't believe this," I muttered. Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to warm up a little from the wind hitting against me. Even though my fire kept me slightly warm, it was still cold in the dark sky.

Zuko had a decent flame going in the vent eventually, and he shut the barred door to it taking in a hard breath. When the balloon was all set and heading toward our destination, both Sokka and Zuko plopped down on the steel floor also. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I began to feel my eyes start to drag. I refused to fall asleep though.

"So this prison…" I looked toward Zuko who I could vaguely see from the light coming off of the fire in the vent. "How much do you know about it?"

Zuko shrugged. "Not much. I learned about it when I was younger from father. He told me that no one's ever gone to Boiling Rock and escaped before."

I cringed. "So pretty much we might be able to get in, but we most likely will never get out."

Sokka added, "Relax Amber… We'll definitely escape. It wouldn't be the first prison you've busted out of before."

I rolled my eyes. "Those other times I was in small prison cells with a few guards. This time is different. There will probably be hundreds of guards at this prison."

Zuko was astonished by what I had spoken. "How many times have you been imprisoned?!"

Sokka smirked. "Now you see why Kale and I don't like her coming on these dangerous adventures."

"If you weren't so stubborn," I began. "We would be back with the others safe right now."

He waved me off. "We'll be fine. As long as we stick together, nothing will go wrong."

Sighing, I pulled my knees close to my chest hoping Sokka was right. No matter what, though, I wouldn't let anything happen to my brothers.

Eventually, after four more hours of flying, the sun started to rise. As the sun rose, I started to drift. I was exhausted, and if I was about to go into a high security prison, I was going to get some sleep before I did. As I started to fall asleep, I felt something warm get placed over my body. The sway of the balloon relaxed me as I finally fell into my dreams.

**Third Person POV**

Sokka sighed, placing the blanket over Amber who lied on the steel floor fast asleep. He'd found the blanket already in the hot air balloons basket, and he assumed Zuko had used it for warmth when he was tailing them a few weeks ago.

Zuko watched as Sokka carefully placed the torn blanket on Amber. He saw from the sunrise light the water tribe boy brush a lock of hair from her face. Zuko leaned back against the wall of the basket and watched the brotherly action from the corner of his eye. He felt something fill his insides. Was it jealousy? Was he starting to feel bitter toward Amber's relationship with her water tribe family?

He tried to push his thoughts aside. "Is she asleep?"

Sokka jumped when he heard Zuko's voice. He felt like he hadn't really heard it all night. He nodded to answer. Walking over to where Zuko was seated against the basket, Sokka plopped down a few feet beside him with a heavy sigh. "That girl… She worries way too much."

Zuko smiled weakly. "She's stubborn." He then hung his head. "Guess it runs in the family."

Sokka crossed his arms, staring over at her. She was lying on her side, her hand cushioning her face from the floor. She looked at peace for the moment, and this eased Sokka's worries a little.

"Hey Sokka," Zuko began. Sokka looked over at him with question. "It's been on my mind for a while now, but I haven't gotten the courage to ask." He stopped and took a deep breath. "How bad was she… I mean after the Ba Sing Sei thing…?"

Sokka was taken off guard by the sudden question, but he hung his head with sadness as he remembered. "Not good," he answered softly. "When Azula struck the lightening toward Aang, it had just hit him when Amber jumped into the current. I wasn't there but from what I understand the lightning redirected to her and struck through her chest, right where her heart happened to be. They managed to get her back above ground, and that's when I saw her. Her shirt was burned where the lightening had struck and she was bleeding. You could barely hear her breathe. We thought she was dead, but Toph was able to hear her heart beat. Katara worked on her for hours, trying to use her healing abilities. She did all she could. Amber was in a coma for almost four weeks, and we were scared she would never wake up. She finally did though, but the damage was still severe. She was weak for a very long time."

Zuko placed his face in his hands, horrified by what Sokka had told him. She had been through so much. She had almost died, and it was because he was too much of a coward to protect her.

"She's a fighter though," Sokka spoke again, and Zuko looked at him with question. Sokka was smiling weakly, his eyes looking over at her. She still slept soundly on the steel floor of the hot air balloon. "Even after everything she's been through in her life, she still keeps fighting for the people she loves. Even though she's not related to us by blood, I see my mom in her all the time."

Zuko sighed. "It's still hard to picture her having another mom… another family for that matter…"

Sokka nodded. "When we found out she was really your sister by blood, Katara and I didn't want to believe it. We tried to keep her away from you, because we were both scared that she would leave us to return to her true family. We didn't want to give up Kaya, but over time we began to see we couldn't stop her from being her true self. I still want to call her Kaya sometimes, but I'm trying to accept it for her."

Zuko thought over what Sokka said in his head. He couldn't picture Amber having no memory of who she was. He couldn't picture her being Kaya, a girl who was taken in by the Southern Water Tribe. What had she gone through, discovering she was a fire bender? How had she felt when she woke up with no memory?

"I'm so jealous of you and your sister," Zuko muttered. Sokka was shocked by what he had said. "You two got to grow up with Amber. You got to be her big brother and protector. All the while I was wrapped around my father's little finger working for the very man who took my sister from me. I don't deserve to be her brother."

"Don't say that," Sokka said. He looked down at his hands which rested on his crossed legs. "I have to admit that I never thought you would change. I always thought you would be a heartless monster who only cared about capturing Aang…" Zuko cringed, feeling guilty for his past actions. "But Amber believed there was good in you. She kept encouraging Katara and I to give you a chance. Even after you betrayed Amber in Ba Sing Sei, she still believed you'd change. We kept brushing her hopes aside, yet here you are. Even though you two seemed worlds apart, Amber always saw you as her brother."

Tears pulled into Zuko's eyes, and he shut them quickly not wanting to cry in front of Sokka.

**Amber POV**

Someone shook me and I awoke with surprise. Opening my eyes, I saw Sokka kneeling beside me. "Amber… Were here," Sokka said. Groaning, I rubbed sleep from my eyes and tried to wake up. Stretching my arms and legs, I managed to sit up and look around. Zuko stood by the vent, blowing fire into it, while Sokka returned to the side of our balloon's basket looking down.

"What time is it?"

Zuko answered me. "Near noon." He then looked over at Sokka. "There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet we should be able to navigate through it without being caught."

Standing, I walked over to the side of the balloon basket and looked down at what they were seeing. We were entering into hot humid evaporated water, and our balloon was going down. Looking over at the prison, my eyes widened in amazement. There was a giant steel wall that went around a massive steel fortress.

The balloon suddenly jerked and I stumbled back hitting Zuko. He quickly caught me as I was about to fall and shouted to Sokka, "We have a problem!"

Sokka was clutching onto the side of the balloon's basket and looked at Zuko with question.

Zuko let me go and tried to fire another blast into the vent. "We're going down. The balloon's not working anymore!"

Sokka rushed over saying, "The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can't fly! We just have to keep it up for a few more minutes! We're almost to land!" The balloon dropped and we all stumbled again trying to catch our balance. "Amber! Try and shoot as much as you can. If not we're going to crash into the boiling water!"

Pushing past Zuko, I tried to balance as I shot a hard blast of fire into the vent. The balloon started to rise for a moment, and I concentrated shooting more fire into the vent. "It's working!" Sokka shouted, "Keep going Amber!"

Shooting more fire into the vent, I asked, "How much farther?"

Sokka tried to encourage me. "A few more feet!" I shot another blast into the vent and it rose once again. It was so hot where we were, and it actually felt hard to breathe.

Zuko suddenly cried. "We're gonna crash!"

Looking away from the vent, I didn't even get to see what he was talking about. The basket suddenly hit the land we were trying to get to, and we all were lunged out of the balloon onto the land in front of us. Landing on the hot rocky earth, I felt my skin scratch up a little on impact. Sokka and Zuko landed near me, and we all groaned as we tried to recover from the crash.

"Well that hurt," I muttered.

Zuko was already to his feet and I felt him grab my arm to help me up. "Everyone okay?"

Sokka answered, already to his feet. "Wow… Thank goodness that worked."

Looking over at the balloon, I saw the basket was in pieces and the balloon was starting to catch on fire. Zuko looked horrified. He asked, "How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?"

Sokka walked over to the balloon saying, "We'll figure something out. I suspected it might be a one-way ticket."

His words made me slap my forehead in disbelief. Zuko was astounded, asking, "You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?"

Sokka brushed him off. "My Dad might be here. I had to come and see."

Zuko stared at the scene before him in disbelief. "Uncle always said," he began, watching as Sokka placed pieces of the balloon into the broken basket, "I never thought things through, but this, ugh," he grabbed his head with frustration, "this is just crazy!" He threw his arms up to indicate how crazy it was.

"Told you he doesn't think straight," I muttered under my breath.

Zuko heard and dropped his hands to his side. "Remind me to listen to you next time."

Sokka scowled as he pushed the cloth of the balloon into the basket. "Hey! I never wanted you to come along in the first place. And for the record, I always think things through. But my plans haven't exactly worked, so this time I'm playing it by ear. So there." I shook my head in disbelief.

Sokka suddenly pushed on the basket sliding it into the boiling water beside us. Zuko walked over to him and asked with bewilderment, "What are you doing?"

My water tribe brother answered, "It doesn't work anyway. And we don't want anyone to find it." The balloon sank under the water, though it had caught on fire in the process.

"I hope you know what you're doing. There's no turning back now," Zuko said.

Sokka waved him off. "Relax. We'll be fine. If something goes wrong and we're discovered, we'll just use our secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Zuko looked at Sokka like he'd officially lost it.

"He means me," I muttered. Crossing my arms, I looked at the wall that stretched a good hundred feet in the air. "Not sure what you think I'll be able to do against a bunch of guards though."

Sokka walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. We won't have to do anything." We made our way then around the giant wall. Eventually we arrived at an outer tower and snuck inside. To our relief we found ourselves in the armory. Quickly we grabbed some armor to wear and got dressed. I went into a storage room to change into my own clothing and armor. When I was finished I came out and saw the other two were already dressed. Zuko helped me put my helmet on, and I internally groaned at how stuffy it was. I hated armor.

When we were all suited up, we walked back outside and placed our belongings underneath a loose stone. We then walked back through the armory, and went up some stairs that led us through a few steel rooms. Eventually we found a door that led us out into the inner part of the prison. As soon as we reached the hall, Zuko said under his breath, "I hope these disguises work."

Sokka tried to reassure us. "We just need to lay low and find Dad as soon as possible."

"If we can lay low," I muttered.

Guards suddenly ran past us from where we stood in the corridor. A commotion had started to form as a fight could be heard in the distance. One of the guards who were running by shouted at us, "Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard, come on."

Having no choice, not wanting to let our disguises be for nothing, we raced to follow the other guards through the halls of the prison and outside into a large steel yard. A giant of a man stood in the middle of the yard past a crowd, and he didn't look happy. He was in dusty wrinkled prison clothing, and the man he was sizing up was a short fat guard.

We pushed through the crowd of prisoners and stepped into the center of the large circle they had formed. The prisoner scowled at the guard, "I didn't do anything. I'm going back to my cell."

The guard created a fire like whip and shot it at the prisoner's feet before he could walk away. "Stop right there Chit Sang." I tightened my fist and went to step forward. Both Sokka and Zuko grabbed my arms pulling me back so I didn't blow my cover.

The bully of a guard smirked and said with enjoyment, "I've had it with your unruly behavior."

The man, Chit Sang, snapped, "What did I do?"

The guard burst into laughter, "He wants to know what he did." He turned to Zuko and my breath hitched with worry. What if we were discovered? "Isn't that cute?" He looked back at Chit Sang, but when my brother didn't laugh he looked back at him with suspicion.

My brother Zuko quickly said, "Uh, yeah, very cute sir."

Sokka also said, "Super cute."

He smiled with satisfaction as he turned back to the prisoner who looked annoyed. "You didn't bow down when I walked by Chit Sang."

Chit Sang scowled. "What? That's not a prison rule!"

The guard continued with his bullying. "Do it!"

The prisoner refused, hissing instead, "Make me!"

The guard turned, and I assumed a lot of people thought it was over. Chit Sang turned and started to walk away again. As he walked away, the guard twisted and shot a whip of fire at the prisoner again. Chit Sang turned and used his own fire bending to shoot the fire back at the guard. The guard extinguished the flames with victory.

Making a 'tsk-tsk' sound, the guard shook his head playfully. "Firebending is prohibited. You're going in the Cooler." The guard pointed at Sokka then saying, "You! Help me take him in."

Sokka quickly whispered to us, "Meet back here in an hour." He then rushed off to grab Chit Sang's arm as he and the bully guard shoved him away.

The guard beside me snapped, "Everyone get back to your cells! This scuffle is over!"

"Hey… You can take your lunch break," a guard said to Zuko. He then looked at me. "You come with me. I need you to help me round up the prisoners and herd them into their cells."

I broke away from Zuko then, and I hated being alone in this prison. It was huge, and I felt so small. The guard and I practically had to shove some prisoners back into the prison building. I hated shoving the people, but I knew I had to keep my cover. As I shoved men and women in their cells, I got to a girl who looked maybe my age. When I reached her, I went to grab her arm to lead her to her cell. She yanked away from me snapping, "I can find my own cell."

The girl took me off guard. What was a fifteen or sixteen year old doing in a prison like this? She was thin, but she appeared strong. Her eyes were a misty blue and her hair was shoulder length and half in a ponytail. She looked earth nation, and I wondered how she was imprisoned. Walking her to her cell, I watched as she stepped in with agony. "You all think you're so tough," she muttered under her breath. "One day you'll all be stopped by the avatar… One day I'll see Sokka again." She said the last part to herself.

"Sokka?" I asked, taken completely off guard. This chick knew my brother?

The girl looked at me with fury. "I'm not sharing my feelings with a stupid fire nation freak like you."

She turned and walked over to her steel cot plopping down. Looking behind me, I saw no one was around. Quickly I asked, "How do you know Sokka?"

She was seated with her arms crossed, but when I asked she looked at me with bewilderment. "Wait… You know Sokka too…?"

"Hold on…" I began. "Are you Suki?"

She looked shocked. "You know my name?"

I smiled beneath my helmet. "Of course I do… Sokka doesn't shut up about you."

"Guard!" A voice shouted. Looking down the hall, I saw one of the female guards walking toward me. "Finish up with that prisoner and go scout the prison yard."

Glancing quickly at Suki, I said, "I'll try to talk to you later." Shutting her cell, I locked the hatch and made my way back into the prison yard where the scuffle had been. Walking around the perimeter for a good forty minutes, I ran into Zuko with pure luck. The prisoners were allowed out of their cells again, and they roamed the prison yard as if nothing had just happened. Zuko walked with me over to some steel stairs, gesturing toward a guard standing against the wall above. "Think it's Sokka?"

"I sure hope so," I said.

We climbed up the stairs and made it onto the steel platform that overlooked the prison yard. Walking over to the guard, Zuko tried to play cool as he said, "Hey there, fellow guard. How goes it?"

The guard looked at us and asked raising his helmet visor, "Zuko? Amber?"

Zuko and I raised out helmet visors too letting him know it was us. We all lowered them before another guard could see us.

Zuko quickly spoke. "Shh. Listen, I asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners." He looked at Sokka and I with sympathy. "I'm afraid your father's not here."

Sokka didn't want to believe it. "What? Are you sure? Did you double check?"

Zuko hung his head. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"No," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes. Dad wasn't here…

Sokka was frustrated and slammed his fists against the wall hissing, "No!"

Zuko said with sincerity, "I'm really sorry Sokka."

Sokka took a moment to gather himself, and then he turned to us. "So we came all this way for nothing. I failed." He fell back against the wall leaning into it for support. "Again."

Zuko tried to help the situation, holding his chin in thought. "Err, what would Uncle say? Sometimes clouds have two sides, a dark and light. And a silver lining in between. It's like a silver sandwich. So... when life seems hard... take a bite out of the silver sandwich."

Sokka looked at Zuko as if he were stumped. "I have no clue what you just said."

My eyes shot to the prison yard, and I smiled when I caught sight of Suki again. "He's saying that we may not have found dad, but we found someone else we can save." The two looked at me like I'd grown a second head. Pointing down into the prison yard, I said, "Suki's been waiting for you to save her, Sokka."

Sokka lifted his visor looking at me with shock. He stepped over to the rail and looked down. When his eyes caught Suki's presence, he almost beamed with delight. "Suki!"

A guard suddenly shouted. "Prisoners! Chow time! Back to your cells!"

They sent the prisoners to their cells quite a lot. I'd get annoyed with this prison after a while.

As the prisoners returned to their cells, again, Sokka turned to us saying, "I have to talk to her! I need to see her!"

Zuko tried to stop him. "Don't be too rash, Sokka. You might get caught."

My water tribe brother waved him off. "It will be fine."

We followed Sokka down the stairs and back into the prison hold. Walking down the corridor, I led Sokka and Zuko to where I remembered Suki's cell was. We waited till there were no guards on the hall, and Sokka made his move. Going inside, Sokka shut the door behind him. Zuko and I stood guard outside not knowing what else to do. I could hear the conversation from behind the door.

Suki snapped, "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Sokka asked, "You mean you don't recognize me?"

"You people all look the same to me."

"Oh. Then maybe you'll recognize this," Sokka began. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but a second later I heard something smash into the door. I assumed he'd tried to kiss her, and I giggled softly. Zuko looked at me with question, and I looked away still smirking.

Suki finally exclaimed, "Sokka! It's you!"

Sokka spoke with Suki for another minute, and while he still spoke a female guard walked toward us. I knocked on the door to alert Sokka. The woman ordered, "'Scuse me, I need to get into that cell."

Zuko quickly tried to cover our hides. "No, you can't go in there. The lights are out... the prisoner could sneak up on you."

She scowled and brushed past Zuko. "Step aside, fool."

She reached for the door and Zuko and I had no choice. Quickly we jumped at her and grabbed both of her arms. She began to shout and struggle in our holds. "Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!"

Sokka had weaseled his way out of the cell and started to sneak away. The woman cried out to him, "Guard, help! I think their imposters!" I tightened my grip and she hissed. "Argh! Arrest them! Get them off me and arrest them!"

A second later I felt Sokka yank me off and slam me into the wall beside us. I knew he was just trying to keep his cover, but it hurt like crazy. The woman regained herself and managed to pin Zuko to the wall as well. Sokka whispered in my ear, "Don't worry… I'll think of something."

He and the woman shoved Zuko and I down the hall then, and we were forced into the same cell. They shut the door and locked us in. I scowled and tore my helmet off, dropping it on the ground. "So much for blowing our cover."

Zuko sighed, taking his helmet off as well. "I hope Sokka can come up with a plan… This isn't looking very good on our side."

Guards came in a few minutes later and forced Zuko and I apart. I was taken to my own cell and forced out of my armor and into some prison rags. The clothes were itchy and smelled used. While I was dressing a female guard remained with me. I'd thankfully left my bracelets back underneath the boulder with my clothes, so I was relieved I didn't have them on me at that moment.

The female guard tried to interrogate me after I was dressed, ordering me to tell her my name and why I broke into the prison. I kept my lips tightly sealed. She scowled. "Fine… You don't want to answer to me, then you'll just have to answer to the warden."

Crossing my arms, I leaned back against the wall. She left the room and only a few minutes later a man entered. The man was old, with heavy wrinkles. His muscles were strong but he looked like I could take him if I wanted to. His face was almost shaped like some kind of lizard, and he wore an almost crown piece as if to make him king or something.

"Well, well… This pretty gal is one of our impersonators," the old man said, walking toward me with amusement. "I must say, I'm truly amazed."

I scowled but kept my mouth shut. When I spoke it only got me into more trouble than I needed.

The warden grabbed my chin, and I tried to yank away grabbing his arm with my hand. He didn't seem to loosen his grip at all. "So what's your name girl?"

I hissed, "Like I'd tell you."

He yanked me forward. "Don't be such a smart mouth. I already have an idea… I just spoke to your friend across the hall. If Prince Zuko is your partner, I have no doubt in my mind you're the Princess Amber I've heard so much about." His breath smelled of tea and fried duck. "Am I right?" He saw my eyes drop as I took in what he said. "I thought so. Surprised to find you're alive again. How many times do you want to die? I can make you die a third time."

My blood went cold, but I tried to stay strong. "I'm not scared of you," I said through gritted teeth. "I'll escape you and this prison in no time."

The warden scowled. "No one's ever escaped the Boiling Rock. You're stuck here Princess. I already sent word to the palace that you're here. The fire lord will be sending his men any day now to retrieve you and your brother."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't feel bad when you're wrong in the end, lizard face."

His fist suddenly smashed into my stomach and I doubled over coughing. Falling to the ground, I shook from the pain but managed to hold myself up. "Maybe some time in the Cooler will teach you respect," he hissed. He shot his eyes over to the other guards who were with us. "Take her to the Cooler. Keep her in there until she starts to turn blue."

The guards yanked me up, and I began to struggle. As we walked down the hall toward the door that led to the Coolers I struggled like crazy. There was no way I was going to that place. With a smirk, I decided it was time to show these guards what a water tribe warrior was made of.

Reaching my foot out in front of one of the guard's legs, I tripped the man up and caused him to stumble to the steel floor. Once I had one arm free, I turned and grabbed the female guard on my other arm. Gripping her wrist, I yanked it from me and twisted it so she was turned and her arm was stuck behind her. Tripping her up too, she fell to the ground as well. Now that I was free, I took my chance. Rushing down the hall, I heard the other guards call out behind me and their boots stomp after me. My adrenaline pumped as I rounded the corner, only I rounded the corner and ran smack dab into a guard. Falling back on my butt, I winced at the pain.

"Amber?"

Looking at the guard, I saw it was Sokka and he was on his butt too looking at me with bewilderment. The guards ran around the corner then, and I heard one of them shout, "Nice try, you brat!" Hands grabbed me again, and I was yanked from the floor.

Quickly I struggled again. "Let me go!"

Sokka stood and I saw him restraining himself so much from helping me. The same guard who called me a brat ordered Sokka, "Help us with her. We need to get her to the Cooler." I scowled and kicked back at the guards trying to get them off of me. Sokka walked over not wanting to blow his cover. He took over the female guard's hold on my arm and they shoved me on through the hall.

They eventually got me to the dark corridor where the cooler was, and one of the guards opened the heavy door. Cold air shot at me, and I felt my heart rate increase at the thought of being locked up. "No! Let go!" I shouted. Sokka loosened his grip, probably agonized that he was the one throwing me in the Cooler. They shoved me in, and I turned with horror as they shut the door on me. Running forward, I slammed my hand on the icy door shouting in the freezing air, "Let me out!"

No one listened, and I knew I was on my own. I also knew I had to get out quickly, because being stuck in this stupid cooler would only ruin the escape plan my brother was coming up with. There had to be a way to get out and I'd find it.

Ten agonizing minutes passed of me being stuck in the cooler I was thrown in. My fist slammed against the door for what felt like the fiftieth time. A guard smashed his hand on the door and ordered for the fourth time, "Stop that you brat!"

Stepping away from the door of the cooler, I tried to calm down as I felt anger fill inside me. The freezing temperature in the cooler was hardly nothing compared to the South Pole at night. My body shook, but I could handle the cold. I did know one thing though. The others were hatching an escape plan, and me being trapped in this cooler would ruin everything.

Looking around the cooler, I stared at the icy walls trying to figure out how to escape. The cooler was rounded on both walls, and the only light in the cooler came from the window on the door. There was no heat in the cooler, except for a small amount trickling in through the seal of the door.

Standing in the middle of the cooler, I thought over my options in my head. If I shot my fire hard enough at the door, I might be able to cause enough power to burst the door open. The only problem with that though, is if I failed the fire would shoot back at me. Walking up to the circular window, I tried to peek my head through the frosty glass. There were two guards stationed outside the door from what I could tell. If I did bust the door down, would I be able to get past them. I assumed I probably could, but then what would happen if I was captured again?

One of the pipes above me creaked suddenly and a spout of freezing cold air was shot at me. I gasped at the cold and crossed my arms trying to get warm. My body was beginning to shake like a leaf. Backing away from the door, I decided to take my chance. If I managed to break out of the cooler, and I was caught, there was no way they'd put me back in. It would just be a waste of time for everyone.

Lowering my hands, I tried to concentrate on the fire inside me. I felt my spirit begin to take over my human body as my fire increased. Staring at the door in front of me, I held my hand out hoping my fire was enough to blast through the door. If it wasn't then I would be trapped here until I turned blue, or whatever the Warden had said.

A hard blast of fire shot through my hand straight at the cooler door. At first the strong stream of flames only turned the steel door red, but then I saw with relief the steel start to melt. I beamed as I used my other hand to increase the flame and push it harder on the door. The fire ate at the steel and started to form a hole through the material. Cold air left the Cooler as soon as I created a hole through the steel frame. The hole was big enough for me to crawl through, and I took my chance.

Dashing forward, I lunged my body straight through the small three foot high and wide hole in the door. Landing in the warm hall outside with a thud, I winced as my body hit the hard steel floor below me. "Hey!" Guards shouted as they saw me slide a little in the hall from my fall.

Without hesitating, I twisted my feet and kicked a flame at them. I hadn't seen where they were standing, but I guessed. When I heard the two guards gasp and two thuds as they fall back on the floor, I knew I'd hit them. Jumping to my feet, I looked back to see the two male guards trying to get back to their feet. The glow around my body faded as my spirit rested once more inside me.

"Sorry. The cooler's not really for me," I said.

The two guards got back to their feet and the shorter one cried, "Get her!"

They darted forward, and I twisted taking off down the hall of coolers toward the door at the end. Lighting another flame, I shot it hard at the door and it blasted open effortlessly. Rushing out into the hall, I saw two more guards look over at me with shock. One pointed at me and shouted, "Hey! Hold it right there!"

I looked around wildly for a direction to go. "Nah… I'm good."

Shooting down the hall, I ran toward another door and shot through it arriving in the prison cell corridor. I heard voices below as I ran, and I heard steel boots stomp behind me as the guards followed. Rushing over to the rail that circled the whole platform I was on, I looked down at the floor beneath me to see the prisoners doing chores. They had stopped when they heard the guards commotion though and looked up at me with shock. Looking back at the guards, I saw ten of them running at me. Looking down at the level below, I assumed it was only a twenty foot drop.

Without hesitating, I grabbed onto the rail with my hands and jerked my body over. Gasps were heard below me, and I fell down to the floor below pleading for a soft landing. Using my fire, I shot it at the ground to slow my fall. When I managed to stumble to the floor, I looked over to see Sokka, Zuko, Suki, and the guy Chit Sang looking over at me with shock.

The guards boots stomped on the stairs as they rushed down to the ground floor to get me. Looking at Zuko so I didn't blow Sokka's cover, I said, "You guys keep planning. See you later." I saluted them, and then took off through the crowd of prisoners once more. The guards were still running behind me, and I ran faster toward the gate that led outside. If I could get out of the giant steel gate, maybe I could find somewhere to hide.

Smashing through the large steel door, I ran outside into the blinding sunlight. Shielding my eyes, I searched wildly for a way out. There had to be a way out of-

A blast of fire shot in front of me suddenly, and I gasped backing up with shock. Looking across the prison yard, I saw with annoyance it was the lizard faced warden again, and he didn't look happy.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! That's part 1. Part 2 is coming very soon!**


	16. Rescue

**A/N: Here's part 2. Thanks for your thoughts on the last one!**

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><p>Glaring daggers at the man standing across from me, I crossed my arms and scowled. He stood at my cell door with narrowed eyes, and I knew he wasn't happy. The lizard faced man stepped into my cell room, and I stood my ground not scared of him.<p>

"You escaped that cooler in less than an hour. I'm very impressed." He held his hands behind his back as he spoke calmly to me. His calm tone took me off guard. A few minutes ago he was yelling at his guards for not being able to seize me, so I was expecting his wrath when I was thrown in my cell. "Clearly the Cooler is too easy on a girl like you. I hate using force, but you're leading me to no choice."

I scoffed. "Do what you want with me. If I could handle Zhao's afflictions when I was six then I can handle yours now."

The Warden scowled. "I'm not going to beat you senselessly like that stupid man did." He stepped toward me, and I backed up hitting the wall behind me. He stopped in front of me, his hands still behind his back. "My mother taught me how to respect women. I'm going to give you a warning though," the warden began. "No more misbehaving from here on, or I will use whatever means necessary to knock some sense into your thick skull." He turned and started to walk away.

"I don't understand," I began, puzzled by this sudden turn. "You're not going to punish me? Even after I broke your cooler to shreds?"

The warden stopped at the door, his back still turned to me. "My niece holds you highly… She would hate me if I did hurt you." His eyes shot back at me while I stared at him with confusion. "You may be the enemy to me, but to Mai you're still her friend. I won't hurt you for her sake."

Mai… This man was Mai's uncle?

"Oh…"

"She thinks you're dead though," the warden suddenly said. "She'll be surprised to find you alive."

I was surprised by his words. "No one's sent out word I'm alive yet?"

The warden shook his head. "The Fire Lord wants us to keep it on the down low for some reason. I think he fears if people hear you're alive it will give the world hope."

"This world needs some hope after everything the Fire Nation's done," I muttered.

The Warden scowled. "Watch what you say. I could cut your tongue out for speaking such a way toward your own nation."

I fell back against the wall crossing my arms and looking away. "The water tribe is my nation. You and your nation are just burdens that weigh me down."

He smirked. "The Water Tribe, eh? I remember when we first started taking over the water tribe. Such a weak excuse for a nation. We didn't even bother sparing those worthless scum. The Fire Lord will burn them all to the ground. The people you ally yourself with will lose in the end. In time you'll see you should've chosen the Fire Nation."

He left me then, and the cell door closed behind him. I rushed at the door and slammed my fists against the steel shouting, "You're wrong! The Fire Nation will be the one to fall!" Silence fell on the other side of the door, and I dropped my hand with defeat. Walking over to my cot, I plopped down with a sigh. Lying down I stared at the ceiling. My thoughts ran wild as I thought about so many things. I thought about my water tribe mom, my father Hakoda, my brother Sokka and my sister Katara, and even Gran- Gran.

_The Fire Lord will burn them all to the ground…_

Turning over on my side, I muttered, "He's wrong… They're stronger than he thinks."

Almost six hours passed. It was silent and my thoughts were loud. Prison sucked just because it was so quiet and lonely. I tried to sleep but my mind was too wild so I eventually gave up. I wondered if Sokka and Zuko were still planning an escape. I wondered if their planning had been foiled. Sitting up, I kicked my legs back and forth trying to calm my worries. Eventually I started to whistle a tune. It was a tune my Gran-Gran had taught me.

Someone slammed on my door telling me to pipe down, but I kept whistling. What were they going to do, cut my tongue? Like that threat scared me.

Eventually I got bored of whistling and started to pace back and forth across the small cell. It was on my twentieth pace across the room that I heard Sokka's voice.

"Orders from the warden. He wants me to bring the girl to him," Sokka said.

The guard at the door seemed unsure. "We were ordered by him earlier to keep her in here until he returned himself."

"Well he changed his mind. He's a very busy man," Sokka said. A brief silence passed. "Fine… I'll just tell the warden you disobeyed his orders…"

"Uh… wait!"

The door opened a second later and Sokka walked in, still disguised as a guard. I tried hard to contain my excitement at seeing him. He took my arm and began to pull me out of the cell. I played along, so that the guard didn't find anything suspicious. Trying to yank from his hold, I snapped, "Let me go."

The guard at the door said, "Are you sure you can handle her? She escaped a whole bunch of guards earlier."

Sokka waved him off. "Don't worry. I've dealt with much worse." He gave me a shove as if to prove his point, and I winced when it actually hurt a little.

Eventually we made our way through the halls, back to the room we'd first run out of when we arrived at the prison. Making our way through the dimly lit rooms, down the stairs, and back outside we made it to the boiling water. The sun was starting to slowly rise. How many days had we been at the prison? Sokka walked around the perimeter, and I followed him willingly. As we headed toward our destination, Sokka caught me up on his plan. They were going to use the cooler as a boat to get us across the boiling water.

I beamed at his plan. "That's really smart. Great thinking!"

He shrugged, and then smiled as he joked, "As long as you don't blast a hole through it, everything will work out fine."

I nudged him in the side, but laughed at his words.

Eventually we reached the blind spot where guards wouldn't be able to see us. The coolers were lined up above, at the middle of the wall we stood beside. The wall was made out of rock and slopped down creating the perfect ramp to bring the cooler down. Sokka told me to wait here until he rounded up the others. While he was gone, I sat down on a boulder and stared at the boiling water in front of me. Picking up a pebble beside me, I tossed it into the water and watched it create a splash and sink below. It seemed like I sat for a good ten minutes. Finally Suki arrived, and with her were Chit Sang and two other people. One was a woman and the other a man.

Suki walked over to me. "Hey… It's Amber, right?"

I nodded standing and crossing my arms. "We actually get to meet face to face this time."

She smiled. "Yeah. I feel much more comfortable speaking to you instead of a girl disguised as a guard."

"I pulled it off pretty well for a little bit."

Suki nodded. "That was some escape earlier. You had Sokka and Zuko worried sick when you ran past followed by all those guards."

"They shouldn't be worried. It happens all the time."

Chit Sang spoke up suddenly. "Hey… What did you say your name was?" Looking over, I saw he was pointing at me. His friends were looking over curious too.

"I didn't say, but if you must know then its Amber," I answered.

The three of them looked shocked by what I said. The woman asked with bewilderment, "Amber… as in the dead Princess Amber?"

Shaking my head, I said, "Nah… Just Amber. Princess doesn't suit me. You can leave the princess title to Azula." All three of the prisoners jaws dropped.

Silence fell over us as we waited for Sokka and Zuko to arrive. Eventually Suki caught sight of them and we all looked up to see Zuko and Sokka rolling the Cooler down toward us. Chit Sang ran up the hill to help them bring the Cooler down. When they finally reached us, they stopped the Cooler beside us and turned it so it went in the water.

Zuko rushed over to me as soon as the Cooler was out of his hold. Pulling me into a hug, I gasped a bit in surprise. "You had me worried sick," Zuko said.

I hugged him back smiling weakly. "I told you Zuko… I've escaped many prisons before... Besides, the Warden refused to hurt me because it would upset Mai. You had nothing to worry about."

Zuko sighed, pulling away. "I can't believe he's Mai's uncle…"

I added, "Yeah. She looks nothing like that lizard face."

Zuko smiled at the nickname I gave the man.

"Everybody in the Cooler, let's go," Sokka suddenly ordered. We looked over to see him walk over to a rock a little ways away. He lifted it revealing our possessions. Walking over, I took back my water tribe and fire nation bracelets from him, putting them back on my wrist.

Suki and Zuko had followed. Sokka picked up his sword and slung it around his shoulder, and then he picked up the brown pack with our clothes in it. Zuko asked Sokka as he did that, "Are you sure you want to go? You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honor. Rescuing your Dad is your chance."

Confusion swept over me. Dad wasn't here. What was Zuko talking about?

Suki asked, "You're dad?"

Sokka was close to tears as he turned toward us with despair. "If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail."

Zuko didn't seem happy with Sokka's response. "No, it's not. Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."

Sokka started to walk away with a scowl. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

Zuko crossed his arms. "Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again…"

"Seriously," Sokka muttered. "Not helping."

Zuko grabbed Sokka's shoulder and forced him to turn back to him. "You have to try every time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail."

My brother Sokka hung his head, taking Zuko's words to heart. I understood what was going on then. New prisoners were coming in, and Sokka assumed father was one of them. The thought of seeing my water tribe father again made me want to stay, but I also knew if we stayed we'd be risking our one chance of escape.

Chit Sang suddenly broke into our conversation. "Hey, if you two are done cuddling, can we get a move on?"

We looked over to see Chit Sang and his two friends eager to leave the prison. Sokka shook his head, and I noticed a new expression come on his face. Determination.

"No, I'm staying," Sokka began, dropping his bag. He turned to the rest of us. "You guys go." He placed a hand on Suki's shoulder. "You've been here long enough."

Suki pressed her hand to his. "I'm not leaving without you, Sokka."

Zuko added, "I'm staying too."

I crossed my arms. "No way I'm letting you get all the glory in saving dad." Sokka smiled at what I said.

Chit Sang spoke up, snapping, "Not me, I'm out. Let's roll baby." He and his friends hopped into the cooler and started to drift away from us down the current. We watched them go wishing them the best.

Sokka hung his head a bit. "We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake."

I waved him off. "Please… When have we ever been known to let our mistakes stop us from trying again?" Looking at the others, I smiled to give them hope. "We'll figure out something. We always do."

The three looked at one another with ease, and then Zuko walked over to me patting me on the head. I batted his hand away as he said, "You're always burning with hope. I wish I had your determination."

Sokka walked over and put me in a headlock, giving my head a rub with his knuckles. "Well she is the Spirit of Fire. It comes with the package I guess."

I tried to push him off, whining, "Sokka! You know I hate it when you do that!"

He pulled his knuckles away, but still held me in a headlock. "You'll get over it." He let me go fully then, and I fixed my hair annoyed. Suki giggled at our sibling squabble, and I saw Zuko smirk as well.

"We better get going," Sokka said. "The gondola with the prisoners should be arriving soon."

We made our way around the wall perimeter, sticking as close to the side as we could so we wouldn't be detected. The earth started to slope upward and we walked toward some metal stairs. The stairs led to a platform on the side of the wall that went around the perimeter more. We climbed the stairs and managed to get onto the metal platform. We'd been walking for a good ten minutes when we heard something.

A loud scream echoed through the air, and we looked back across the water to see the Cooler was rocking roughly. Shouts from guards were heard from beyond the prison wall we were pressed against, and we pressed ourselves harder against the wall not wanting to be caught.

Sokka seemed horrified. "The plan failed. They're caught!"

"The hot water must've burned Chit Sang," I said, understanding why the giant of a man might've screamed. A large harpoon shot out at the water and broke through the end of the cooler. The harpoon was attached to a strong line that began to drag the cooler back to land.

Zuko tried to shove us along. "Let's keep moving before we're spotted like them."

We inched our way around the wall some more, hoping that the warden and his men wouldn't spot us. We eventually got to a point on the platform where we had a full view of the gondola. We stopped in our step, watching as the large line pulled the rectangular stone vessel a hundred feet above the boiling water toward the prison.

"The gondola's moving," Sokka said, his body tense as he pleaded silently for father to be on board. I crossed my fingers, hoping dad was among the prisoners. Please… please…

The gondola came to a stop on a large platform above, and I held my breath. Zuko placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me as we waited impatiently for the prisoners to come off. Guards walked up to the gondola and prepared to grab the prisoners when they stopped off. They brandished spears in their hands in case the prisoners tried anything funny.

Sokka anxiously said, "This is it. If my Dad's not there, we risked everything for nothing."

Suki pressed her hand on his shoulder. "We had to."

Sokka looked up at the gondola platform with pleading eyes. "Come on, come on."

One by one prisoners started to depart the gondola and step on the platform. The first one was a huge buff guy with a pierced nose. Zuko asked, having no clue who our father was, "Is that him?"

Sokka snapped, "My dad doesn't have a nose ring."

More prisoners came off the gondola, but as more came out our hope started to deplete. None of them were dad, and I felt tears form in my eyes. This couldn't be… He had to be here. Please…

The last stepped off the gondola, and then there was no one else. I clutched my hair and hung my head in disbelief. No… No! Why weren't we having any luck this week?

"Where is he? That's it? That can't be it," Sokka cried.

Suki squeezed his shoulder with comfort. "I'm sorry Sokka."

Sokka and I both hung our heads, agonized that father hadn't stepped off the gondola. I wiped my eyes which had started to water. "I can't believe this…"

A shout suddenly rang over the air, and we shot our head back up when we heard what the guard ordered. "Hey you two, get off the gondola."

We gasped looking back up toward the gondola platform. Sokka and I held our breath as the two people he directed his orders to made their way off the gondola. My eyes widened when I saw who the prisoners were. Tears poured down my eyes, and this time they were from my relief. My father and my boyfriend's brother stepped onto the platform, and from the distance I saw they weren't happy.

"It's dad and Kuro!" I exclaimed.

"Dad…" Sokka looked back at me, and I saw he too was excited. "I can't believe it! He really did come!"

Suki tried to calm us both down before we ran to father and Kuro at that moment and broke our cover. "We have to get back to our cells before anyone notices were gone." She looked at Sokka. "You go ahead and see your father. We'll figure out a way to escape later today."

Sokka nodded and took off running around the wall toward where the new prisoners were being herded. Suki gestured for me and Zuko to follow her back to the door that would take us into the prison once more. I was a little disappointed I couldn't see dad yet.

While we headed back down and around the wall, Zuko started to speak. "So that man was your water tribe father?"

I nodded. "His name's Hakoda. He's the chief of the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko was bewildered. "Chief?"

Suki smirked. "Sokka never told me that. So does that mean your brother and sister are Water Tribe royalty?"

"Nah… In the Southern Water Tribe everyone is equal. The Northern Water Tribe are the ones who place value on others. I don't think my father would ever let anyone treat him as royalty. He was given chief status because of his wisdom and bravery."

"Looks like we know where Sokka gets some of his smarts from then," Suki said. She then asked, "Who was that other guy your dad was with though?"

I smiled. "His name's Kuro. He's my boyfriend's older brother. I'm assuming they brought him here because he's a fire nation traitor."

"I see where Kale gets it from then," Zuko muttered.

We eventually made our way back to the steel door where we started at, and I stopped before we entered. Looking at the other two, I asked, "How are we going to slip back in our cells without the guards noticing?"

Zuko thought it over. "We could just show ourselves to the guards and get thrown back in our cells."

Suki sighed. "It sounds like a plan."

The plan worked. Once we got back inside the prison, we broke off in the prison hallway going our own separate ways. It was only after wandering the hall for five minutes that I ran into two guards. They were shocked to see me out of my cell, and I took off down the hall so they would chase me.

"Stop right there!"

The guards shouted after me and I continued to run. Eventually I got bored of running and decided it was time to just let them capture me. Pretending to trip, I fell on the floor and breathed heavily trying to catch my breath. Guards were beside me only a few seconds later, and they grabbed my arms yanking me up from the steel floor.

"Nice try kid," a guard said. "There's no way you can escape though."

"Don't hold your breath," I muttered.

The guards shoved me forward and I was forced along through the halls. Eventually they got me back to my sad lonesome cell and shoved me in. Shutting my cell door, I crossed my arms with a heavy sigh. At least I still wore my water tribe and fire nation bracelet, so there was some familiarity in my lonely cell.

Plopping down on the cot, I leaned back and shut my eyes. Silence filled in the cell like before, and I wondered why none of the prisoners had gone crazy from the silence. "I hope we get out of here fast," I muttered to myself. "I might actually lose my mind."

"_You and your friends are very reckless," _Roku suddenly said. His voice almost made me jump. It felt like I hadn't spoken to him in forever. The gold bracelet around my wrist was warm as Roku spoke to me from the spirit world.

Calming my racing heart, I snapped, "Don't just jump out of nowhere Roku… Where have you been anyway?"

Roku answered, _"Keeping an eye on Huo… He's going crazy without his fire. Also I promised I'd give you some space."_

I rolled my eyes. "Is he still trying to figure out how to get his fire back?"

"_He won't find anything. This has never happened before, so there is nothing that can help him. You should be fine."_

Leaning back against the wall, I muttered, "He can have it back if he ever does find a way… I'll willingly give it to him."

"_You may as well learn to accept who you now are… You're the Spirit of Fire and that will never change."_

"It changed for Huo."

Roku fell silent, and I sighed again pulling my knees to my chest. After a moment I changed the subject and asked Roku, "Do you regret it… I mean do you wish I had just died in my mother's womb? It would've saved you from all this burden."

At first there was silence on Roku's end, but finally he answered, _"I do not regret saving your life… The one thing I do regret though is causing you so much suffering. If I could go back in time I would stop Ursa from telling Ozai about you. You would've never suffered under the hand of Zhao."_

I hung my head finding acceptance. "No… I guess my suffering was worth it in the long run. If my mom never told the Fire Lord about me, I would've grown up a Fire Nation princess. If I hadn't lost my memories and stayed loyal to my father, who knows what kind of monster I would've become."

"_You're very strong," _Roku proudly said. _"Even after everything I put you through, you're still fighting for the people you love. You've truly grown into a courageous independent woman."_

I blushed. "Just doing what I can to return peace to this chaotic world."

"_That's my great-granddaughter…" _

Roku left me alone then, but I was relieved to have heard his voice. It still felt nice knowing my great-grandfather was looking after me.

A few more hours of silence passed. Softly I began to hum the lullaby my fire nation mom used to sing to me. The guard on the outside didn't seem bothered by my humming, and so I continued. My humming cut off only when voices suddenly echoed through the hall.

"Put him in here," a guard ordered, and I heard the sliding of a door. Curious, I stood and walked over to my small window peeking out. Across the hall I saw Kuro being held by two guards. He struggled in their holds as they tried to shove him in the cell straight across from my own.

Eventually they got him in, and slammed the cell door locking it. Before they left, I heard one of the guards snap, "Serves you right traitor!" The guard smashed his fist on the cell door, and him and his buddy's walked away. The guard that once stood by my door followed them, leaving Kuro and I alone.

After a few minutes of silence, I said, "Hey, Kuro."

A second later Kuro's own eyes could be seen through his peek hole window. They were surprised to see me. "Amber! What are you doing here?"

I smiled weakly. "Believe it or not, I'm actually here to help you and my dad escape."

"Is Kale here?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. He has no clue I'm here. He thinks me and my brothers went on a fishing trip."

He was taken off guard. "Brothers?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah… Zuko switched sides."

From what I could see through the window, Kuro raised his brow in disbelief. "Fire Prince Zuko switched sides… How'd you get through to him?"

"I didn't… He just finally got some sense in his head."

"So your brother Sokka is here then?"

Nodding, I felt confidence build in me. "Yeah. He'll have us out of here in no time."

Kuro and I spoke for a few more minutes. He told me he was brought to the Boiling Rock because he was a Fire Nation traitor, while my father was brought here because they thought he was the leader of the warriors. The other warriors were being held at a prison near the Fire Nation palace. I told him that everyone back at the western air temple was fine, and Aang was learning fire bending from my brother. I also told him that Sokka was no doubt coming up with a plan to get us all out of here.

"I've got to admit something to you," Kuro suddenly began. "When I heard a bunch of kids were the ones trying to stop the Fire Lord, I didn't believe it possible. However, you all are proving me wrong the more I get to know you."

Boots suddenly stomped in the hall as a guard approached us, and Kuro and I quickly left our windows plopping down on our cots. The boots grew closer and closer, and finally stopped at my door. "Amber?"

My eyes widened. Rushing up to the door, I peeked through the window again. "Sokka?" Kuro glanced out of the window as well, curious to hear what Sokka had to say.

"Shh… Listen. I spoke to dad and we have a plan to escape. When the cell doors open in an hour or so meet out in the prison yard. We're going to start a riot and escape on the gondola."

"That's actually a good plan," Kuro said.

"Don't worry," Sokka said to both Kuro and I. "We'll get out of here in no time." Sokka left us then, and I sighed with relief. I was so ready to leave this terrible prison.

Plopping back down on my cot, I waited impatiently for the cell doors to open. I wanted to get out more than anything. The silence once more was painful, and I was getting bored. Leaning my head back against the wall, I sang softly to myself again, trying to relieve my boredom. The song I sang was one I'd heard my water tribe mom sing when I was younger.

_My water tribe mother pulled me closer to her, trying to soothe my cries as I clutched onto her fur coat staining it with my tears. I was nine at the time. Bato had snapped at me for fire bending in the village, and he almost hit me. My father had quickly intervened and told me to go find my mother. When I reached my mom, she quickly noticed something was wrong and sat with me in our small igloo home. _

"_It's alright sweetie… It's alright," she whispered. She kissed me on my forehead and brushed her hand through my hair. When she started to sing an old Water Tribe warrior tune, it was like all of my worries faded._

"_The sun rises and sets on the edge of the sea… one can only marvel at the worlds beauty… no matter the evil that drifts our way… the strength of the water will always stay… Small are we, but weak are they… they fight with fire but we won't sway… the sun is theirs and gives them strength… but we have water, purity, and grace… water, sea, sky, and moon… We'll find freedom very soon… The sun may rise and set on the sea… but the moon gives strength to warriors like thee…"_

My voice sang the song softly, and I could almost hear my mother's voice singing it with me. When I finished the song I felt strength and comfort inside me. The song made me feel like I was back at the Southern Water Tribe, sitting around the campfire and hearing the tribe sing the same song loudly to the moon above. The song created a sense of power among the Southern Water Tribe, and I felt that power while I was singing the tune. Even if I wasn't water tribe by blood, I knew I was water tribe in my heart.

My door slid open suddenly and I gasped looking at the intruder with shock. It was the warden, also known as Lizard-face, and he smirked when he saw me. "I would've never imagined you could sing so well… You don't seem like the graceful type to have such a voice."

I scowled, my cheeks burning with embarrassment that the warden had heard my tune. Still sitting on my cot, I stubbornly crossed my arms and snapped, "What do you want?"

He gestured to a guard to grab me, and I saw the tall strong man come over to grab my arm. The warden answered me while his buff guard grabbed my arm and forced me off the cot. "There's someone who wants to see you."

This took me off guard. Who wanted to see me? I highly doubted he was talking about Zuko, Sokka, Suki, or my dad.

They began to drag me down the hall once more, and I once again struggled in the strong guards hold. His grip tightened and I winced as the pressure on my arm started to ache. "That hurts," I snapped. The guard only squeezed harder.

We headed down the hall, down some stairs, across another hall, and toward an open door where voices were already coming through. As the guard and warden walked me closer to the cell door, the voices were familiar.

"I told you, this is my choice! I'm doing this to help my people, not hurt them," Zuko snapped.

Mai's voice echoed through the cell. "So instead you just hurt me! I thought you loved me!"

Immediately, I said to the lizard-faced warden, "I don't want to go in there. They're in the middle of a love spat." The guard shoved me along closer to the voices. I huffed and continued to struggle in the guards hold.

"I do… it's just… it's complicated!"

The sound of a slap rang echoing through the hall. From the corner of my eye I saw the Warden smirk.

"Save it for some other girl who cares," Mai hissed.

We reached the cell, and I finally saw what was going on. Zuko stood against the wall, his cheek red from where Mai had just slapped him. He had his arms crossed and his eyes leveled as he tried to hold in his feelings. Mai looked like she was hurting greatly, and I was surprised to see she really did like my brother. She liked him a lot.

"Sorry to interrupt your talk Mai, but I've brought your surprise," lizard-face said, grabbing me from the guard and shoving me into the room. I winced at his rough hand jerking me forward.

A gasp sounded in the room, and I looked up to see Mai looking dead at me. Her mouth hung open speechlessly, and her skin paled as if she were seeing a ghost. She took a few steps back, probably not able to believe I was alive. Her voice sounded weak as she whispered, "Amber…?"

Zuko had dropped his arms when he saw me practically thrown in the room, and he seemed relieved to see I hadn't been harmed. Looking back, I saw the Warden smirk at me and shut the door to give the three of us privacy. With a heavy sigh, I turned back to Mai who once long ago was my best friend.

Grimacing, I said weakly, "Hey Mai… I'm alive. Surprise…"

Mai was still speechless for some time. After a good two minutes of her just staring at me, her eyes filled with tears of relief. "Amber… You're alive…" Her voice got stuck though as a new emotion came on her face. It was like her emotion changed in the blink of an eye. She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Rushing forward, she grabbed my shirt and slammed me against the wall. I winced at the hard wall smashing into my back, astonished by her sudden mood change. "You're alive! After all this time you're alive! I thought you were dead!" She pulled me forward and smashed me back again. I winced as my back stung.

"Mai… Please… Let me explain," I began, but she smashed me back against the wall again cutting me off.

"You died! There's nothing to explain!"

Zuko quickly tried to intervene, grabbing Mai's arm to pull her off of me. "Stop… You're hurting her Mai."

My old friend scowled and snapped, "Hurting her? She hurt me! I've mourned for your death twice now! Twice I thought you were dead, and yet you show up again!" She smashed me against the wall again, and this time I saw dots as my head hit the steel.

Trying to ignore the pain, I said through blurry vision. "I'm sorry Mai… I never intended to hurt you. I had to make the world believe I was dead… Otherwise the Fire Lord would've come after me again."

"How are you alive? Azula and Zuko both said you were dead!"

I tried to remain calm as I answered, "Azula's lightning struck me and I was down, but I never died. My water tribe sister is a healer. She saved me in enough time. I'm sorry… I wish I could've told you, but I couldn't risk the Fire Lord finding out."

Her hand relaxed on my shirt as she took in my words. Slumping forward, she suddenly wrapped her arms around me sobbing into my shoulder. I sighed, relieved she wasn't slamming me into the wall again. Hugging her back, I looked over her head at Zuko who was amazed at Mai's sudden emotional breakdown. He probably wasn't used to her showing emotion, so seeing her sob like this was almost foreign to him. He also looked torn because he did still love Mai. It seemed he was now worlds apart too.

Eventually she calmed from her tears, and I let her go with sympathy. I could only imagine how much pain Mai had felt at the thought of me being dead. Zuko remained against the wall, deciding there wasn't much he could do to comfort his ex-girlfriend at the moment. She'd probably try and run her dagger through his heart.

"Listen Mai…" I began. She looked up at me trying to wipe her eyes to hide her breakdown. "I know right now were worlds apart, but I do still want to be your friend. Just because were not on the same side of this war doesn't mean we have to be enemies." She seemed to be thinking over what I was saying.

"We are enemies…" she said softly. "We can't be friends…"

I pressed a hand on her shoulder. "A war can't stop me from being your friend."

She hung her head taking my words to heart.

Boots suddenly stomped down the hall, and the door to the cell we were in swung open. A scrawny guard stood at the doorway, and he quickly said to Mai, "Ma'am, there's a riot going on. I'm here to protect you!"

Mai quickly covered that she had been crying and snapped at the guard, "I don't need any protection."

Zuko let out a laugh causing everyone to look at him with question. He smirked. "Believe me, she doesn't."

The guard stepped into the room. "I'm sorry but I'm under direct orders from your Uncle to make sure nothing happens."

Zuko suddenly rushed forward and shot fire at the guard. He gasped blocking the flames and jumping in front of Mai to protect her. Zuko grabbed my arm and shoved me out of the room shouting, "Amber! Go!"

"Halt!" the guard ordered. "Stop right ther-"

My feet stumbled as I was shoved out into the hall. Turning I looked back to see Zuko staring at Mai with surprise. She had restrained the guard by pointing a dagger at his throat. Her eyes watered as she said to me and Zuko, "Go you idiots! I'll hold him off."

We were amazed that she was helping us. Zuko went to say something, but Mai cut him off. "Go before I change my mind!"

"Thanks Mai," I sincerely said.

Zuko and I took off down the hall once more and rushed toward the prison yard where the riot was taking place. When we got outside only a few minutes later, we were amazed at the sight before us. Dust and bodies flew everywhere as fighting raged through the area. Over the hollers and cries of pain, Zuko asked, "Do you see them?"

Looking around, I searched through the wild bodies of prisoners to find Sokka and the others. Eventually I spotted them over by a wall straight across the fighting. They were looking around the chaos, probably wondering where Zuko and I were. Grabbing Zuko's hand, I yanked him through the chaos headed straight toward the group. We had to dodge numerous bodies that were thrown at us, and we even had to fight off a few prisoners who tried to take a swing at us. It seemed like forever, but finally we made it through the fighting to where Sokka and the others were. I noticed Chit Sang was there as well.

"Amber! Zuko!" Sokka exclaimed with relief when he saw us finally approach. We were both out of breath as we reached the group.

When I saw my father standing beside Kuro, I almost forgot about the crazy riot behind me and beamed with delight. "Dad!" Rushing forward, I hugged him and he hugged me back with a chuckle.

"We were wondering when you would show up. You're holding us up," my father joked.

Zuko spoke up for me. "Sorry… We ran into an old friend."

My father looked over at Zuko, and was about to say something to him. Sokka quickly jumped in, saying, "No time for introductions. Focus everyone. We're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the Warden and get to the gondolas." He pointed up toward Lizard-Face who was watching the riot in the yard with fury.

"Sounds challenging," Kuro muttered under his breath beside me, looking at the chaotic fight uneasy. I was the only one who heard.

Zuko asked Sokka, "And how do we do that?"

Sokka seemed to think it over hard. "I don't know…"

Zuko grabbed his head in disbelief. "Argh, I thought you thought this through."

Sokka was in hysterics. "I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything through!"

"Maybe not everything. But this is kind of important!"

While Sokka and Zuko bickered, Kuro tried to interrupt. "Guys…" They continued to bicker. "Hey guys…" They bickered some more. "GUYS!"

They both turned and snapped in unison, "WHAT?"

Chit Sang answered for Kuro. "I think he's trying to say your girlfriend's taking care of it." He pointed toward the direction of the warden, and we all shot our heads to where he was pointing. Suki was jumping on the prisoners heads, literally, trying to get across the chaos to the wall where the platform was.

"I say we go around," I said.

The others agreed. We rushed forward back through the chaotic fighting, dodging fire, fists, and shoes. Finally we made it through the chaos and ran to some stairs. By the time we raced up the stairs onto the platform where the warden was, we were all out of breath. When we got onto the platform, we saw with amazement that Suki had the Warden pressed up against the wall, his hands tied with a red belt and his mouth gagged with his crown band.

Suki looked at us with determination. "We've got the Warden, now let's get out of here."

My father said trying to catch his breath, "That's some girl."

Sokka smiled glad dad approved. "Tell me about it."

Chit Sang stepped over then and grabbed the Warden tossing the old man over his shoulder like he weighed nothing. Suki stepped back surprised by the man's strength.

Zuko tried to get us all focused. "Let's move! Everyone to the gondola!"

We raced along the metal platform, up some stairs, and down a stone walkway. The gondola's were in the distance, and I saw a bunch of guards were already at the gondola to stop any escape attempt. As we approached the bridge that led to the edge of the stone platform, the guards all prepared to fire at us.

"We're almost there," Suki said with relief.

The guards started to fire at us, and I rushed in front of the group stopping the flames midair. The guards were shocked and stepped back amazed. Zuko quickly ordered, "Back off, we've got the Warden." The Warden made a noise on Chit Sang's shoulder, as if telling his guards he was really there. The guards backed off more, and they all seemed unsure of what to do.

We carefully made our way through the crowd of guards, each of us prepared to attack if we had to. Sokka held his sword out to discourage anyone from trying anything. Eventually we made it to the large metal gondola at the edge of the stone bridge.

Sokka yanked the gondola door open and shouted, "Everyone in!"

We rushed inside and watched from on board as Zuko pushed a steel lever forward. The lever caused the gondola to jerk to life and start to move. While the wires holding the gondola began to pull us away from the prison, I saw Zuko was still on the bridge kicking at the lever. The guards raced forward toward Zuko just as he managed to break the lever. He then took off toward the gondola that was leaving him.

"Zuko!" I cried, grabbing onto the side of the window and watching my brother with horror.

He jumped from the stone platform, and Sokka reached half his body out of the window beside me holding his hand toward him. To my utter relief, Sokka managed to catch Zuko's hand before he fell into the boiling water below. Rushing to my brother Sokka's side, I took Zuko's other hand and we managed to pull him up, over the window sill, and onto the floor of the gondola. When we were all safe inside the gondola, we slumped on the bench that circled the whole space and tried to catch our breath.

"We did it," I said with relief.

"Wait," my father suddenly said. "Who's that?" Jumping up, I rushed to the window to see what my dad was pointing at. Back at the gondola tower that was fading in the distance, I saw with utter shock Azula and Ty Lee. They were standing on the edge of the gondola tower, staring dead at us.

"That's a problem," Zuko suddenly said. "It's my sister and her friend."

From the distance I saw Azula grab something from a guard beside her. Jumping in the air she slung the handcuffs around the wire holding up the gondola, and used her fire to shoot her toward us. Ty Lee jumped onto the wire above Azula, running effortlessly as if it were a tightrope act.

"I'm going up," I said, then stepped onto the window sill.

Zuko and Sokka both protested, but I ignored them turning and hoisting myself up on the gondola's roof. Getting on top, I managed to keep my balance as wind pounded at me. Suki, Sokka, and Zuko joined me only a few seconds later, prepared to fight beside me. "Stop being so reckless," Zuko snapped at me.

I ignored him again and rushed toward the edge of the gondola. Zuko was horrified. "Amber! What are you doing?!" By the time he shouted it I already jumped and grabbed the wire above me. Managing to hoist my body onto the unsteady wire, I used what Ty Lee taught me as a young child to my advantage. Balancing on the rope, I raced forward on the wire toward my sister and Ty Lee.

Ty Lee gasped when she saw me headed toward her, amazed to find out I was alive. "No way… Amber?!"

My sister scowled and snapped, "Stay focused Ty Lee! Get her!" My sister shot past from below me, but I stayed focused on Ty Lee. She stopped in front of me, both of us managing to keep our balance on the thick wire.

"You- you're alive?" Ty Lee asked, bewildered.

"Azula didn't tell you? Wow, shows how much of a friend she is," I calmly said.

Ty Lee cringed by what I said. She then looked at my feet which were managing to keep balance on the moving wire. "How are you doing that?"

I smirked, stepping toward her carefully. The wire went down a bit by my step but I kept my balance. "I did learn from you."

Her eyes widened. "You remember that?"

"I got some of my memories back… you were a good teacher when we were little," I said.

Azula's voice suddenly broke over the air. "Ty Lee! What are you doing? Get her!" Ty Lee and I looked over to see Azula was fighting Zuko, Sokka, and Suki. She dodged Zuko's fire, and jerked away from Sokka's sword.

"Sorry Amber… I have to," Ty Lee said.

Jerking my head back, I gasped as Ty Lee took a kick at me. Dodging her feet, I jumped back managing to catch myself on the wire. "Stop Ty Lee! You don't have to do this!"

She took a few more swings and kicks at me, and I dodged them not wanting to fight her. In my heart she was still my friend, and I didn't want to hurt her.

She took another swing snapping, "What are you doing? Fight me!"

I dodged and snapped, "No! I won't hurt you!"

She snapped, "You're only making this ten times harder."

She jumped from the line and flipped above my head landing behind me. Turning, I blocked her hand from smacking me in the back. Grabbing her wrist, I cried, "Stop, Ty Lee! We don't have to fight!"

She kicked me in the stomach with her foot, and I stumbled back losing my footing. Falling down from the wire, I gasped grabbing onto the hot thick cord just in time. Ty Lee gave a sharp intake of breath as she saw I was about to fall into the boiling water below. She was suddenly beside me, where my hands were harshly gripping onto the wire. "Amber! Hang on!"

"Amber!" Sokka cried, and I glanced over briefly to see everyone on the gondola roof had stopped fighting and were watching Ty Lee and I with horror. Even Azula had stopped fighting.

"Cut the line!"

The Warden's voice took us all off guard by what he was saying. The cord I was holding onto for dear life suddenly jerked to a stop as the guards jammed something into the pulley back at the tower. Ty Lee stumbled from the sudden jerk and lost her own footing. She gasped as she too fell, and I thought fast. Reaching for her, I managed to grab her wrist just as she fell past me. The extra weight almost made me lose my grip, but I managed to keep holding on.

"Hang on Ty Lee," I said. My brain tried to think fast for an idea to save us both. Looking over at the gondola which was a good ten feet in front of us, I measured how much force I'd need to fling Ty Lee onto the gondola roof. After making a guess, I shouted, "I'm going to swing you toward the gondola. When I say let go you let go."

Ty Lee was shocked by what I said. "What!"

Looking down at her, her eyes met my own. "Just trust me Ty Lee!"

She looked completely taken off guard. Then she nodded trusting me.

Tightening my grip on the cord above, I felt blisters form on my hand but I ignored the pain. Carefully I swung Ty Lee back and forth, cringing at the strain it was putting on my arms. The more I swung her body below me, the greater the swing became, and the harder it was to hold on. After a good minute Ty Lee finally had a decent swing for her launch. "Ready…" She swung back and then swung forward. "Let go!" Ty Lee and I released hands and she flew in an angle right at the gondola. Her small body landed at the very edge, and I watched Azula reach for Ty Lee's arm just as she was about to fall backwards. The fighting had not started back up on the gondola since Ty Lee and I had fallen. Everyone was worried about us, even Azula.

Ty Lee suddenly cried, "Amber! Hold on!"

My grip strained some more, and I gasped as I lost my grip. Slipping from the wire, I shrieked as I started to fall down toward the boiling water. Air rushed past me as I fell. Everyone shouted my name, but I was already working on my own rescue. Taking in a hard breath, I shot a strong blast of flames from my hands and feet. The fire jetted me upward back to the gondola, and I was utterly relieved when a moment later I flew above the gondola and practically fell on the roof.

The impact of my body hitting the hard roof made me wince in pain, but I was relieved that I had made it to safety. A hand helped me back up to my feet, and I was pulled into Sokka's relieved hold. "Amber! I thought I lost you again!"

"You can't… lose me… that easily," I joked, out of breath from my fall.

"Azula! We have to go! They're cutting the line," Ty Lee suddenly cried. Looking back over, I saw she was tugging on Azula's shirt sleeve trying to get her attention. Azula was staring at me with amazement, unable to believe that I had flown almost fifty feet back onto the gondola.

The wire jerked again as the gondola started to move once more, and we gasped looking back at the gondola tower. Azula quickly came out of her shock and looked over with us. From the distance we saw Mai fighting off guards back on the platform, and I was amazed that she was helping us.

Azula jerked her head back toward me and Zuko, pointing her long painted nail at us. "This isn't over… I'll have my rematch with you two very soon," she hissed. She twisted her body sharply then and jumped through the air landing on another gondola being pulled past us. Ty Lee smiled weakly at me, saying, "Thanks for saving my life Amber…" She turned and jumped the same direction Azula had gone, hopping on the gondola as well.

We were shocked. Azula was letting us go?

The gondola they were on left us, but I couldn't help but watch them go with amazement. Azula had actually forfeited… Maybe I was getting through to her…

Sokka was confused. "Is she really letting us escape?"

Suki spoke up. "Maybe the crazy princess has a heart after all."

Things calmed down and we all sighed with relief. My muscles burned, and I stared at my hand which had clutched onto the wire for dear life. It was terribly blistered and bleeding in a few spots. Zuko suddenly grabbed my arm, saying, "Let's get you back in the gondola before you fall to your death again."

Without protest, I willingly made my way off the gondola's roof and back inside. The others followed, and soon we were all trying to catch our breaths as we sat on the bench that circled around the gondola's compartment. Kuro, my father, and Chit Sang stared at all of us with amazement. Silence fell over the gondola then, all except for the warden who was making noises in his gag.

After a few more minutes everyone relaxed and started to speak to one another again. Sokka and Zuko sat on both sides of me, and Sokka inspected my hand with worry. He didn't seem happy. "You do realize that you are one of the most reckless girls I've ever met?"

I smiled weakly. "I realized that a long time ago. You have to admit though… I was pretty cool on that wire."

"Yeah," Zuko said. "But I already knew you belonged in a circus."

Sokka broke into laughter at Zuko's joke, and I scowled slumping back annoyed.

**Third Person POV**

Ty Lee watched the gondola Amber and her friends were on with sad eyes. "So we're just letting them go?" She glanced over at Princess Azula who had been silent since they'd hopped on the other gondola. Azula crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed as she watched her enemies drift farther and farther from her.

"Father wants them alive," was her simple answer.

Ty Lee looked at her friend with furrowed brows. Then realization hit her. "Hey… Why didn't you tell me Amber was alive?"

The fire nation princess turned from her friend and stared toward the gondola tower they were steadily approaching. Mai stood on the platform restrained by two guards. "I didn't want you and Mai running off to go join the enemy," Azula muttered. "I see Mai decided to do her own thing though."

The gondola came to a stop finally, and Azula and Ty Lee hopped off onto the platform. One of the guards walked up to the princess and bowed. "My Princess… We are glad you returned safely." Azula ignored him and walked toward Mai. Mai narrowed her eyes, prepared to explain to Azula why she chose to help Amber and Zuko.

Azula crossed her arms when she approached Mai. "I never expected this from you. The thing I don't understand is why? Why would you do it? You know the consequences."

Mai stood her ground. "I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko and Amber more than I fear you."

Azula went to snap at her, but she stopped. Her voice got caught in her throat, and a few tears came in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. She felt alone. She felt like she had no one. Her friend Mai had turned on her, her mom was gone, her brother and sister traitors, and her dad didn't give her the time of day. She had no control. She felt like everything was crumbling around her.

"Leave us," Azula snapped at the two guards that still restrained Mai. The guards bowed and left obeying her. Azula spoke to Mai, her eyes narrowed, "You do realize I can throw you in jail for your treason? I can even kill you here, right now."

Ty Lee stepped forward as if to intervene, but Mai shook her head telling her to back off. Ty Lee had tears as she backed up, torn between keeping her honor and protecting her friend.

"Do what you want," Mai said. "I'm not scared."

Azula scowled. "You betrayed me! I thought you were my friend!"

Mai crossed her arms. "Friends don't lie to each other. If we're questioning friendships here I should ask the questions. For instance, why didn't you tell me Amber was alive?"

"That's none of your concern! I am your princess! You do what I say and don't question me!"

"Amber's my princess too," Mai simply said.

Azula couldn't take it anymore. She needed to be alone. She needed to get away from this traitor. "Just get out of my sight! I'm tired of looking at you! LEAVE!"

Mai was surprised that Azula wasn't going to imprison or kill her. She twisted on her heel and started to walk away, but looked back at Azula with pain. "You just lost your friend… I hope it was worth it."

Azula watched Mai go with fury. "You're not my friend! You never were!" She too turned and walked in a different direction. "Come on Ty Lee," Azula ordered. She looked over at Ty Lee but was shocked to see the small girl running to catch up to Mai. "Ty Lee! What are you doing?!"

Ty Lee looked back at Azula. "Sorry Azula… but I can't stand around and watch you hurt Amber anymore." She turned on her heel and left with Mai, and Azula could only watch frozen in shock. Once Mai and Ty Lee disappeared around the corner, Azula let out a loud cry of both rage and pain. She shot fire at the first person she saw. The guard flew back and smashed onto the ground hard, falling unconscious on impact.

**Amber POV**

"Hold still," Zuko said, grabbing my wrist to keep me from jerking my hand away. "I told you it would hurt." He dabbed at my hand again with the wet rag, and I cringed at the sharp pain that shot from my cuts.

We'd gotten off of the gondola a good thirty minutes ago when it finally reached the edge of the volcano. Chit Sang had tossed the Warden back in the gondola as we left, and then all of us raced up a steep rocky slope to try and get off the volcanic island.

Zuko told us that Azula must've had a ship or balloon nearby that she had gotten to the island on. When we got over the very tip of the steep rocky hill, we saw what he was talking about. A huge metal war balloon was docked on the water below, thick rope keeping it tied to a stone platform. We found a way down the steep cliff, fought through the soldiers around and on the war balloon, and soon we were drifting through the air back toward the western air temple.

As Zuko mended my hand while we were seated cross legged on the hard floor, I looked around the control room we were all in trying to ignore the pain. My father was driving the balloon, although he seemed to have no clue what he was doing. Sokka and Suki were standing in the corner of the room, talking to one another and having a heart to heart. Kuro and Chit Sang even seemed to be having a good conversation, whatever they were talking about.

A sharp sting shot through my hand again, and I yelped yanking from Zuko's hold. "That's enough. It's just a scratch."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky that's all it is. You almost fell to your death."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't going to let myself die a third time. You had nothing to worry about."

He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back against the steel wall. "Just, please stop throwing yourself off of things… Sokka told me you do that a lot."

"I do not," I muttered.

Sokka must've overheard us because he shouted in the background, "Yes you do!"

Silence fell between us.

An hour or so passed and my father needed a break. Kuro took over the controls, and dad walked over to me and Zuko with hard eyes. Zuko stood quickly so he could speak to my father at the same level.

My dad crossed his arms. "So it's Prince Zuko, correct?"

Zuko nodded, bowing his head a bit in respect. "And your Chief Hakoda," Zuko began, lifting his head. "Amber's told me about you. It's an honor to meet you sir."

My father didn't look impressed. "My daughter's told me about you as well. Actually, all of my children have told me about you. I'm not sure if I should shake your hand or throw you off this balloon."

Jumping up, I cried, "Dad! Stop!"

"It's okay," Zuko said softly to me.

My father placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me. "Relax… I'm not throwing him out of the balloon." He looked back at Zuko, and I could tell my father calmed some. "I'm sorry. It's just when I heard you were working with my children now… well you can't expect me to not feel uneasy about it… I heard a lot of stories about the trouble you caused them in the past."

Zuko hung his head in guilt. "I regret many things I did in my past. I regret every day chasing the avatar and your children halfway across the world. I'm ashamed of what I did in Ba Sing Sei and I wish I could take it back every day… I want to make things right though. I want to take my father down and restore balance to this world. I know you may not approve of me being here, but I'm not leaving until I stop this war once and for all."

My father listened thoroughly to what Zuko had spoken. My heart pounded as I waited to hear my father's response. It seemed like a brief moment of silence passed. Then my father smirked at my brother, saying, "Spoken like a true warrior." He clamped his hand on Zuko's shoulder in almost a fatherly gesture. "I believe you son. If Sokka and Amber say you're good, then I have to take their word for it."

He left me and Zuko, both of us watching him go bewildered. Sokka walked over slapping his hand on Zuko's back. "Congrats Zuko… He called you son. That means you're in line to be the next chief of the Southern Water Tribe."

This took Zuko off guard. "What?"

Sokka laughed. "Nah… Just kidding. But it does mean he likes you." Sokka walked off again, still smirking at his small joke. Zuko almost seemed relieved he wasn't in line to be the next chief.

Plopping back down against the wall, I sighed relieved that my father had accepted Zuko. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. Zuko sat down beside me, relieved by my father's approval as well.

The flight continued as our large vessel soared toward the Western Air Temple. Soon the voices around me began to drift away as I felt my eyes drag. The last time I slept was when we were first headed to the prison. Looking over at Zuko, I asked, "How long were when in that prison for?"

Zuko thought it over. "Three days at the most… why?"

Three days without sleep. Now that I recalled, I also hadn't eaten anything since we left the Western Air Temple. How did I have so much strength back at the prison? I assumed it was because of the adrenaline and determination inside me.

"Oh…" I let my head rest back against the wall. "Seemed shorter than that."

Shutting my eyes, I heard Zuko say beside me, "What are you talking about? I thought we'd never leave that prison." His last word broke off, and it was because I had slid a bit resting my head on his shoulder. "When's the last time you slept?"

My voice softened as I felt my body grow heavier. "Three days ago…" My surroundings faded as I finally drifted to sleep. Zuko's warm arm wrapping around me was the last thing I felt before I drifted.

When I came to, it was because someone was shaking me awake. Sokka's voice sounded through my ear. "Amber! We made it back!"

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes to try and push the sleep from my eyes. Looking around, I saw Kuro, Chit Sang, Suki, and Zuko were standing at the large window of the control room looking out. My father was the one driving again.

"How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours," Sokka said. He was kneeling down beside me. "We're bringing the balloon down."

Getting up from the floor, I walked over to where the others stood. Looking out the window, I saw we were steadily descending toward the temple below us. It was dark outside indicating we'd been flying all day, but our travel was much faster than when we first were headed to the prison.

We eventually got beside the temple ruins, and Chit Sang and Kuro left the control room to tie the balloon down on whatever they could find. When they got back, we all made our way through the balloon toward the ramp that would lead us off. We finally got back on land, and were greeted by Katara, Aang, Toph, and Kale. Three of them stared at the giant balloon with amazement, while Toph seemed uncertain of what was going on.

Katara was the first to speak to us. "What are you doing in this thing? What happened to the war balloon?"

Zuko smiled weakly. "It kind of got destroyed."

Kale crossed his arms, looking at Sokka, Zuko, and myself with suspicion. "I take it you three didn't go on a fishing trip then."

Toph whined, "So does that mean you didn't bring back any meat?"

"I did," Sokka began. "I brought back the best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood."

The group looked at us like we'd lost our minds. Then the others departed the giant war ship behind us. Chit Sang and Suki were off first, throwing the group completely off. Then Katara's eyes widened.

"Dad!" She ran forward and threw her arms around father. "What are you doing here? How are you here?"

Kale's eyes widened too when he spotted his brother. "No way! Kuro!"

Kuro stepped beside me. "Hey bro. Long time now see."

Kale beamed at his brother, relieved he was okay. "What are you doing here?"

Kuro placed a hand on my shoulder. "You can thank your friends. Without them we'd still be behind bars."

Kale was elated to see his brother free, but then a thought struck him. Looking directly at me, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Alright… Spill! Where did you three really go? I want the truth!"

Hanging my head a bit, I went to answer but was cut off.

Sokka answered for me. "We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison."

Silence fell over the group as they took in what Sokka said. Aang, Katara, and Toph were shocked. Kale looked horrified. "And you took Amber?! Are you two crazy!" He pointed at Sokka and Zuko directly. "She already gets in enough trouble as it is!"

Zuko stepped forward. "Chill… We took care of her."

"Yeah… I'm the one who refused to let them go alone. It's not their fault," I defended, rubbing my arm.

Kale sighed, calming down. He stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, saying, "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Wait," Toph said. We all looked at her with question. "Seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?"

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><p><strong>AN: So that was the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed. I'm getting started on "The Southern Raiders" episode. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you all thought.**


	17. Facing the Monster Part 1

**A/N: Thanks everyone for your thoughts and reviews on the last chapter. Also thank you for the private messages you've been sending me. I enjoy hearing your questions and suggestions. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I broke it into two parts because the chapter was very very long. So here's part 1 and the next chapter is part 2. Just a warning, these two chapters are very emotional since it has to do with Kya's death. I hope you all enjoy though.**

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><p>Someone was roughly shaking me as I tried to sleep. Groaning, I opened my eyes to see who would be waking me at such an awful hour. To my surprise, it was Kale. Through my sleepy eyes, I could tell something was wrong from the anxiety on his face. Just as I was about to ask him what was wrong, I heard the sound of an explosion and felt the temple shake.<p>

"Wha- what's happening?"

Sitting up, I looked around to see panic. Everyone was to their feet, staring out of the temple with horror. Getting to my own feet, I saw what they were seeing. Three giant war balloons were emerging from below the cliff. The fire nation soldiers on board were shooting bombs and fire balls at us. Kale and I ran over to the others.

Aang used his earth bending, and a second later the columns around the platform we were on turned creating a wall around us. The barrier was enough to stop a few bombs that were shot toward us. The earth shook again, and the roof above us started to crack.

"Watch out!"

Looking over, I saw Zuko smash into Katara as pieces of roof from above fell in the exact spot she'd been standing in. Zuko and Katara landed on the ground, and Katara immediately snapped, "What are you doing?"

Zuko was shocked by her reaction. His body still shielded above her as the earth continued to shake. "Keeping rocks from crushing you."

She scowled. "Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now." She weaved her way out from under Zuko, and stood taking off to get away from him.

Walking over to Zuko who was still on the ground, I offered my hand. He took it with thanks and got to his feet. "Your sister really doesn't like me," he muttered.

"Just give her time."

Another bomb hit us again, and I stumbled trying to catch myself. Toph and Haru were busy earth bending a tunnel through the side of the cliff so we could escape. Kale was by my side once more, saying, "They're going to blow this whole temple off the mountain!"

Kuro, who was standing beside Haru near the newly made tunnel, said, "It's the Fire Nation. What do you expect?"

"Come on, we can get out through here!"

Turning, I saw Toph was gesturing for us to run through the tunnel she had just made. Aang and Katara rushed over to Appa grabbing onto his reins to try and pull him toward the tunnel. The others were making their way into the tunnel, preparing to run.

Another bomb smashed into the barrier Aang had put up, and this time the barrier of columns started to break into pieces. "This thing isn't going to hold much longer," I said.

"Then we need to go," Kale said.

Zuko walked toward the barrier though with determination.

Aang asked with shock, "What are you doing?"

"Go ahead, I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit," Zuko said. He ran forward and I gasped in terror when I saw him jump over the broken barricade. What? What was that idiot doing?

My heart rate increased as I ran forward. "Zuko! No!" Kale and Sokka were suddenly at my side, both of them restraining me from following Zuko. They pulled me back while I struggled. "No! We have to go help him!"

"Stop. Zuko will be fine," Sokka reassured. "We have to get out of here!"

I shook my head hard. "No! We can't just leave him!"

Sokka ignored me, saying to Kale, "Keep an eye on her. I'm going to help with Appa." He let go of my arm and ran over to Katara and Aang who were trying to get Appa in the tunnel. Appa did not seem pleased.

I struggled in my boyfriend's hold. "Kale! Let go! I can't let Zuko fight Azula alone!"

Kale ignored me and reached around my waist practically carrying my struggling body over to the tunnel. Toph used earth bending to create a rocky dome over us to give us more protection from the bombs outside. When we were back over to the tunnel, Kale placed me down but still held me by the waist so I wouldn't run.

Aang grunted suddenly as Appa pulled against the reins. My attention went from Zuko to the giant flying-bison who just didn't want to go. Aang cried, "I can't get him to go in there. Appa hates tunnels."

Katara winced as the rope she pulled on burned her hand slightly. "Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here."

Aang released the reins though, giving in. Katara and Sokka who were also holding onto the reins dropped them as well. Aang said, "We'll have to find a way."

The others who were already in the tunnel didn't seem to know what to do. Kale finally let go of me, asking, "What do you think we should do?"

Sokka hung his head as he knew the answer. "We need to split up." He looked over at the group already in the tunnel. Kuro, my father, Chit Sang, Haru, Teo, The Duke, and Suki looked at him with surprise. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." It wasn't a suggestion from Sokka, but an order.

A protest sounded from the group. "No!" Katara ran over to father with agony. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

My father placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. It's not forever." She had tears as she hugged father goodbye.

"Be careful," Kale said to everyone in the tunnel. Then he looked at Kuro specifically. "Take care of everyone."

His brother nodded. "I will. You worry about taking care of yourself."

Father gave Sokka and I a hug good bye. When he hugged me, I held on tight not wanting him to go again. He kissed me on the forehead, saying softly, "I just want you to know, that no matter what you'll always be Kaya to me. I'm so proud of you my daughter."

"Thanks dad. I'll miss you."

We pulled apart and separated then. Everyone took off down the tunnel, although Suki stayed with us. That meant that it was Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Aang, Kale, and myself left in the dome of rock Toph had formed over us.

Sokka ordered, "Everyone on Appa!"

We obeyed, getting onto the giant guy's saddle and plopping down inside. Aang took Appa's reins at the front, and said to us, "Everyone hold onto something. This is going to be a very rough ride."

Grabbing onto the side of the saddle, my mind went back to Zuko. Was he okay? Was Azula really out there fighting him? Was she trying to kill him? The thought made my skin turn pale as I worried sick for Zuko's life.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there," Toph said, still on the ground and pointing at a spot on the dome she created. She used her earth bending and threw herself onto Appa's saddle.

Suki seemed unsure. "Umm, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." Another bomb was thrown at us and our surroundings shook. We cringed as pieces of roof fell once more toward us.

Aang looked back at us with confidence. "We'll get through." Looking forward, he took the reins. Momo suddenly appeared and plopped down in my lap terrified by everything that was happening. Wrapping an arm around the little guy, I felt his tail wrap around my arm so he too had something to hang on to. He was shaking like a leaf. Aang spoke up again, saying, "Let's go."

My grip on the saddle tightened as Appa took flight. Toph used earth bending to break off a piece of the dome as we broke through into the crazy battle field. Using the same piece she broke off as a shield, she managed to block a few fire balls thrown at us. It was hard to hold onto Appa's saddle with just one hand, but somehow I managed.

Appa went up and down, left and right, fast and slow, and every other direction trying to avoid the hot blasts of flames being shot toward us from the four giant war ships. When I wasn't shrieking and closing my eyes from fear, I looked over at the largest war balloon watching Zuko and Azula fighting. They seemed to be evenly matched, but I knew eventually one of them would lose.

Appa shot straight up suddenly as we almost ran right into a war ship. We all screamed and clutched on for dear life as Appa managed to shoot above. He dodged more flames, and Katara managed to stop a few balls of fire from hitting the saddle.

Looking back at the two siblings going head to head, my eyes widened in terror when I saw a hard blast of fire shoot from the both of them. As the blue and red flames clashed it created a hard explosion sending both Zuko and Azula toppling over the war ship. They started to fall to their deaths.

I tightened my grip on the saddle as I leaned forward. Quickly I shouted over the screams and explosions, "We have to help Zuko!"

Aang looked down seeing the same thing I saw. "Hang on!"

Appa shot down suddenly, and the others all screamed at the steep descend. We flew straight under Zuko, and I was amazed when I saw Katara reach up and grab his hand as he fell down. They locked hands and Katara yanked him down onto the saddle. He landed in the center, right in front of me. As Appa took off upward once more, we looked at Azula who was falling still.

I worried for her safety too. "Azula!"

Zuko seemed worried as well. "She's not going to make it."

To my relief though, I watched as Azula grabbed her hair pin and shot fire blasting herself toward the cliff side. She used her hair pin to stick it in the side of the cliff and catch herself from falling. I tried to hide my relief, but couldn't help but sigh glad she'd made it.

Zuko muttered, "Of course she did." I wondered if he too was relieved Azula was okay.

We flew away from the war ships then. They'd stopped firing at us when they saw their princess was in danger. When we managed to break up through the clouds, we all let out sighs of relief. Zuko tried to catch his breath as he slumped back against the saddle beside me. Momo finally let me go and ran across the saddle over to Aang.

"Well that was fun," Kale muttered.

Suki smiled weakly. "That was crazier than when we faced that giant sea serpent on the way to Ba Sing Sei a few months ago."

Sokka smirked. "You missed it, Suki. We actually faced that sea serpent again, and this time the creature was on our side."

She was shocked. "What! No way!" Her and Sokka broke into conversation then, catching up on everything Suki had missed since she was imprisoned. Katara and Toph broke out into conversation as well, discussing what had just happened.

Sighing, I looked over at Zuko to see he had caught his breath. When I looked over his eyes met my own. "And you say I'm the reckless one?"

He was taken off guard by my question. After a moment he understood and smirked. "You were worried about me?"

"Of course I was worried. I'm your sister!" I snapped. "You ran off and started fighting on a war ship. You almost fell to your death!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Who does that remind you of?"

I went to retaliate but stopped. He got me. I'd done the same thing two days ago at the prison. With defeat, I slumped back crossing my arms. "Whatever… Maybe recklessness is something we actually have in common."

Zuko smiled. "Finally we found proof we are related. We're both reckless."

"And crazy," Kale joked. The three of us laughed.

An uneasy feeling came over me then and I glanced back around the saddle. Looking at Katara, I saw her eyes glaring daggers at Zuko. She noticed me look over at her and quickly looked away as if she hadn't looked ready to kill my brother.

What was up with her?

Later that day we landed on an island and started to set up camp. Aang had asked earlier where we should head to. Zuko offered we should head towards one of the smaller outer islands of the Fire Nation and everyone agreed. We'd had supplies on Appa's saddle thankfully, so we were able to find enough to make three tents. Toph used earth bending to make tents for everyone else. While the others prepared the tents and what not, Kale and I headed through the island trying to find wood for the fire.

While we searched for wood, Kale asked, "What's up with your sister tonight? She hasn't really spoken to anyone."

I shrugged. "Not really sure. I do know she was glaring daggers at Zuko earlier, so maybe she's mad at him or something."

"She's never liked him," Kale said. "Doesn't surprise me."

"I wish she would lighten up. I hate seeing tension between the two of them." I reached to pick up a stick that looked thick enough for firewood. "Whether Katara likes it or not, Zuko and her are both my family. I can't stand to see them hate each other."

Kale took the stick from my hold carrying it for me. He already had a bundle in his arms. "Why do you think she hates Zuko so much?"

My heart felt heavy as I knew the answer. "It's not just Zuko… Katara hates any fire bender out there. She's always hated them, especially since mom…" I stopped, my voice catching in my throat as I was about to relive a very painful memory.

Kale seemed to want to know more. "Since mom…?"

Quickly I tried to change the subject. Pointing down toward the lapping waves of the ocean, I said, "Hey! I think I see more wood down there." Taking off, I rushed down the slope hearing Kale call after me. I ignored him as much as I could. I wouldn't let memories of such a painful event plague my mind again. It took me almost two years to finally sleep without nightmares. There was no way I was reliving my mother's murd-

No! Stop!

Shutting my eyes tight, I tried to push the memories away, back in the dark part of my brain where I'd kept them for so many years. Bending down when I reached the rocky shore, I picked up another stick that had drifted onto land.

"What was that back there?"

Kale's voice made me jump. Quickly I shook my head saying, "Nothing." Turning to give him a fake smile, I said, "We better head back to the others. I think we have enough wood to start a fire." I started to walk by him, but he stepped in my path.

He leaned forward a bit, trying to almost plead for me to tell him what I was hiding. "What are you not telling me? I know your mom died, but I was never given a lot of information on how… Was there more to her death?"

"_No! Mom! Stop! Stop hurting her!"_

"_Shut up you brat!"_

Quickly I cringed as the memories tried to come back to me. Grabbing half of Kale's bundle, I said with a leveled voice, "We better get back… the other's will worry." I started to walk off.

"Amber… Wha-"

"Please," I interrupted, stopping in my step and hanging my head. I hugged the wood close to me as my heart ached. "Please… Just drop it. I- I don't want to talk about it." With that, I headed back toward camp. Tears threatened to spill, but I held them in not wanting Kale to see me cry. I heard him sigh heavily behind me, and a moment later his footsteps were following me. None of us made a sound as we headed back to camp.

**Third Person POV**

Sitting around the campfire that Amber had lit a few minutes ago, the group conversed with one another about the events of the day. The moon was high in the sky as everyone sipped on the tea Kale had prepared earlier, and ate the biscuits Suki had prepared. As discussion came up, Amber and Kale stayed silent. Kale was silent because he wasn't sure what to say to Amber without upsetting her more. Amber was silent because she didn't know what to say to Kale or how to say it without breaking into tears. She felt guilty for keeping something so huge from the boy she truly loved, but she wasn't ready to tell him. She didn't think she could handle the memories.

The group seemed oblivious to Kale and Amber's silence. Everyone except Zuko. He sipped his tea, his eyes looking across the campfire at the silent duo who were seated cross legged beside one another. Amber was picking at grass by her leg, and Kale was poking at the fire with a stick. He'd never seen the two so gloomy before.

Aang suddenly spoke, making everyone's attention go to him. "Wow, camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

Zuko decided to try and lighten up the mood around the circle. "If you really want to feel like old times, I could, uhh... chase you around a while and try to capture you."

Toph, Aang, and Sokka laughed at Zuko's joke. Kale seemed to smile a little, having heard what Zuko said. Amber didn't even look over at Zuko, her fingers still picking at the grass. She'd heard the joke, but she was too disturbed to react. She felt awful for not telling Kale about her mom, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. Katara muttered under her breath, "Ha ha."

Sokka was oblivious to the unhappy campers and held up his tea cup. "To Zuko. Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he'd be our hero."

Zuko smiled weakly, embarrassed by the sudden glory. "I'm touched. I don't deserve this."

Katara scowled. "Yeah, no kidding." She stood and stormed off.

Sokka was taken off guard. "What's with her?"

Amber came out of her crazy thoughts when she heard her sister snap and storm off. She watched from across the fire as her brother Zuko stood, saying to Sokka, "I wish I knew." Zuko walked off to follow her.

Sokka was taken off guard. "What's with him?"

Amber sighed, standing too. "Their probably just tired from the travel." She didn't meet anyone's eyes. "I'm going to bed. Good night." She turned and left the group. Kale watched her go aggravated. He wanted to know what was going on in her head. He hated the silence she was giving him. Once she disappeared inside her rock made tent, Kale turned back to the fire with frustration. He was eager to know what she was hiding.

Sokka was still oblivious. "What's with everyone tonight?"

While the group wondered what was going on, Zuko followed Katara away from camp and to a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. She noticed immediately he was following her, and she scowled storming off a little farther. Zuko was annoyed. He was tired of Katara giving him an attitude. He wanted to know why she hated him so much.

"This isn't fair. Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you?"

Katara clenched her fist. "Oh. Everyone trusts you now…?" She turned and snapped at Zuko, "I don't see how anyone can trust you. Especially after everything you did to Amber back in Ba Sing Sei! After everything you did to Aang!"

Zuko was astounded. He couldn't believe she was treating him like this. Hadn't he proved himself already to the group? Hadn't he shown everyone whose side he was on?

Zuko refused to give up. He wanted Katara to stop hating him. He wanted them to get along for Amber's sake. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Katara gritted her teeth, tears coming to her eyes. "You really want to know?" She stepped toward Zuko with narrowed eyes. "Hmm, maybe you could re-conquer Ba Sing Sei in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know. You could bring my mother back." Zuko stepped back in shock. He'd heard only bits about Katara's mom. He knew her mom was killed by the Fire Nation, but that was it.

"Your mom…?"

Katara ignored him and stepped by him, smashing her shoulder into his arm on purpose. She stomped away to head to bed, not wanting to share her pain with Zuko.

Zuko thought over his options in his head while he was left alone. He wanted Katara to stop hating him so much. He hated the tension she had toward him. How could he make her see he'd changed? It was only a few minutes of being alone until Zuko heard footsteps headed toward him.

Kale stepped over to Zuko, wanting answers as much as he did. "Zuko. Can we talk for a second?"

Zuko jumped by Kale's voice. He nodded though, ready to listen.

Kale crossed his arms, his eyes staring at the dark earth at his feet. "It's Amber… I think I might've upset her earlier when I asked about her water tribe mom." He stopped for a second, hesitating to ask. Finally he got it out. "She didn't happen to tell you anything about her mom's death, did she?"

When Zuko shook his head, Kale almost felt relieved. If Amber had told Zuko and not him, he would've felt hurt that Amber could open up to everyone but him. Zuko not knowing about Amber's mom either… It felt like weight was pulled off of Kale's shoulders.

"Katara and I were talking about her mom a second ago… Her and Amber seem to be really touchy on the subject," Zuko said softly. "I want to know more. I think if I can figure out what happened, I may be able to find a way to break this tension Katara has toward me."

Kale nodded. "Well… There is one person we can ask..."

Zuko knew just who Kale was talking about.

They both made their way back to camp, on a mission to find out what both Katara and Amber were hiding. If anyone knew about their mother's death, it was Sokka. He'd be able to give them the answers they wanted.

When they reached camp it was quiet. Katara, Amber, Aang, and Toph were already in their tents turning in for the night. When they got closer to Sokka's tent, they saw candles inside showing he was awake still. They approached the tent, but just before they reached the entrance Zuko accidentally bumped into Suki.

Suki's cheeks burned red when she realized she was caught. "Oops. Wrong tent!" She turned and started to walk away.

Zuko seemed a bit taken off guard, and he asked, "Sorry. Do you need to talk to Sokka too?"

Suki's blush deepened. Turning toward him she shook her head. "Nope. Not me."

Kale and Zuko watched her walk away with disbelief. They had a feeling they'd just ruined a date. They both eventually made their way into Sokka's tent and were shocked at what they saw. Sokka was sprawled out on the floor, candles plastered around him. In Sokka's mouth was a flower.

"Well helloo," Sokka began, turning to what he'd expected to be Suki. When he saw Kale and Zuko instead, he gasped and accidently bit down on the flower. As he choked on the flower petals, Zuko and Kale raised their brows in disbelief. Finally, Sokka stopped choking and sat up trying to pretend he wasn't waiting for Suki. "Uh, Zuko. Kale. Yes, why would I be expecting any one different?" He coughed again, getting the last of the flower out of his mouth. When he finally recovered, he asked with all seriousness, "So what's on your mind?"

Zuko and Kale both plopped down in front of Sokka, trying to push everything they had just seen out of their head. Zuko decided to start the conversation.

"Your sister, she hates me and I don't know why! But I do care what she thinks of me."

Sokka was taken a bit off guard by this. He tried to wave it off. "Nah, she doesn't hate you. Katara doesn't hate anyone." He thought about it for a second. "Except maybe some people in the Fire Nation." He stopped when he realized Kale and Zuko were Fire Nation. "No, I mean, uh, not people who are good but used to be bad. I mean, bad people. Fire Nation people who are so bad, who have never been good and probably won't be ever!"

Zuko cringed a bit at Sokka's poor cover up. Quickly he spoke again. "Stop. Okay, listen. I know this may seem out of no where…" He looked at Sokka, whose eyes met his with question. "But Kale and I both want you to tell us what happened to your Mother."

Sokka was bewildered. "What? Why would you want to know that?"

Kale answered. "Amber's hiding it from me. It's like whenever she starts to open up to me about it, she shuts down and changes the subject. I'm dying to know what she's not telling me."

Zuko also answered, "And Katara keeps bringing her mom's death up to me. She mentioned it before when we were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Sei and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow... she's connected her anger about that to her anger at me."

Sokka hung his head, his eyes pained as he remembered his past. "It's not a day I like to remember… It happened almost five years ago… That day Katara and I were playing in the snow, just throwing snowballs and goofing around. Amber had stayed at home with mom to help do some small chores. It was a day like any other… That is until the black snow began to fall." Sokka stopped, shutting his eyes as pain shot through him. "Many of the warriors had seen the black snow before and they knew what it meant." He looked at Zuko and Kale who were listening to his story intently. "A Fire Nation raid."

Kale was shocked. A raid… This couldn't be good…

Sokka continued, "I went to join the warriors in the fight, while Katara went to go find Gran-Gran. We were badly outnumbered, but somehow, we managed to drive them off. As quickly as they came, they just left. I was so relieved when it was over but, that's because I didn't know yet what had happened." He lowered his head as tears filled in his eyes. "I didn't know we lost our Mother."

"Wait… You said Amber was with your mom… Does that mean…?"

Sokka nodded slowly to answer Kale's question. "Yes… Amber was there when the killer came into the tent. She saw mom die right in front of her eyes. She's the only one out of all of us, even dad, who saw the man who did it." Zuko and Kale were shocked. No wonder Amber hadn't told them about her mom… She probably had nightmares about the event still.

Zuko asked, "Did she ever tell you what happened?"

Sokka shook his head. "No… She shut down after that day. If she ever spoke about it, it was just to blame herself for not saving mom." He let out a heavy sigh. "For two years she held the death of mom on her shoulder. She'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming and thrashing, trying to push mom's killer away. Eventually the screams stopped. Katara and I think she just finally got to the point where she pushed the memories deep in her mind, trying to forget about that day. Whenever villagers brought up the terrible day, she'd walk away from the conversation or shut down from all emotion. I do sometimes wonder what Amber saw, but I don't ask. I can't bear to see her in so much pain again."

Silence fell over the tent. Kale and Zuko were too stunned to speak. They both couldn't imagine what it was like for such a little girl to watch her mom die… To see such a horrifying event…

Zuko tried to get focused, though his voice was a bit off as he worried about Amber. "Can you remember any details about the soldiers who raided your village? Like, what the lead ship looked like?"

Sokka thought about it for a moment. "Yeah... Sea Ravens. The main ship had flags with sea ravens on them."

Zuko's eyes widened. He knew that fleet. He knew it all too well. They were notorious for raiding villages and slaughtering people. The commander of their fleet was the one who did most of the killings. "The symbol of The Southern Raiders..."

Zuko stood, grabbing Kale by the shirt and pulling him up too. Kale looked at him with question. Zuko ignored his question and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Sokka."

He and Kale left Sokka's tent then, both of them making their way back across camp where they could talk alone. When they reached a quiet spot, Zuko spoke again, "I know which fleet killed their mom. I'm going to convince Katara to come with me so she can get revenge on her mom's killer."

Kale was shocked. "Wait… You're going to take her straight to the man who killed her mother! That doesn't sound like a good idea."

Zuko brushed him off. "I need Katara to stop hating me. If I can help her take down the man who destroyed her mom, I'm hoping she'll find closure and finally accept me."

"There's just one problem with that," Kale began. "You heard Sokka. Amber's the only one who saw the killer. She'd have to go with you, and I don't think she'll want anything to do with this."

"That's where you come in," Zuko said. Kale couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You need to convince Amber to come with us."

Kale went to argue but stopped. After a moment of thinking it over, he sighed in defeat. "I'll see what I can do."

**Amber POV**

A scream escaped me as I awoke from my nightmare. Sweat beaded down my forehead as I sat up gasping for air. My mother's dying scream still pierced through my scalp. No… I'd forgotten about it… No! Why were these memories plaguing me again?!

Sobs escaped me, and I grabbed my blanket pressing my face into the itchy fabric. I tried to muffle the sound as much as I could. I didn't want any of the others to hear. The memories were painful. I needed to push them back. I wanted to push them back so much.

"Amber…?"

My body froze when I heard Kale's voice. Pulling my face from the blanket, I looked over to see Kale standing at my tent entrance. He looked worried, so I assumed he'd probably heard the scream. When he saw the tears coming from my eyes, he walked over and knelt down beside me. His hand pressed against my cheek, and I shut my eyes as he wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, shutting my eyes tighter as more tears threatened to spill.

"It was about your mom… wasn't it?"

My heart stung. Hanging my head, I grabbed Kale's hand firmly not wanting him to leave. If he left I'd lose it.

"Listen… Sokka told me and Zuko about your mom. He told us she was killed during a Fire Nation raid," Kale began. My eyes widened. Why would Sokka tell them that? Looking at Kale, I wasn't sure what to say. "Zuko knows who the fleet was that did it… He's going to the fleet with Katara so she can get revenge… They need you to come with them."

It was hard to understand what he was saying at first. My head felt heavy, and I felt my heart ache. Then I started to understand. They wanted me to go with them so I could identify the killer. They needed me to point out who did it so Katara could take her revenge out on him. They were going to kill the man who killed my mother. The idea of seeing the monster dead was nice in my imagination, but deep down I knew it was wrong.

Yanking my hand from Kale, I said softly, "No." Kale was taken off guard. He probably thought I'd be ecstatic to find my mother's killer. Standing from my tangled blanket, I looked at him directly in the eyes saying with a leveled voice, "I refuse to have any part in this. Tell Katara and Zuko that this mission they want to go on is a complete waste of time. Revenge is never the answer."

Turning, I started to leave the tent. Kale stood and grabbed my arm firmly. "You need to do this Amber… It will help you find closure."

Yanking from his hand, I snapped at him, "No! It will only bring me pain! Why are you and Zuko trying to make me relive this? Just drop it!" Turning, I took off running out of the tent, and I felt Kale watch me go. When I got out of the tent, I ran into Zuko and Katara. They must've been headed my way to try and convince me to come like Kale was doing.

"Amber… I-"

Cutting Zuko off, I snapped, "No! I'm not going! I won't go!" Looking over at Katara, I saw she was shocked by my reaction. "I'm not going to face that monster! You can't make me!" Taking off, I ran away from them all. I ran as fast as I could away from camp. Running for a good five minutes, I reached the rocky shore and plopped down on a boulder breaking into hard sobs. How could they ask me to do such a thing? Why were they trying to hurt me?

I sat at the rocky shore for a few minutes, just staring out at the waves. My sobs had ceased, and I'd calmed down some. As I calmed down guilt washed over me again. I touched the spot on my arm where Kale had grabbed. I'd been so harsh to him… All he wanted to do was help…

"Amber…"

I jumped when I heard Katara's voice. Looking back, I saw Katara walk over to me with pain in her eyes.

Quickly I looked away. "I know what you're going to say Katara. My answers still no. I won't help you kill a man, no matter how much I hate him."

Katara sighed, sitting down on the boulder beside me. She too stared out at the waves. Silence passed between the two of us, and I pulled my knees to my chest hugging them close to me for comfort.

After a moment, Katara spoke again. "Look… At first I was against Kale and Zuko's plan too. But it makes sense to me now. We have to do this Amber." Katara took my hand in hers, and I looked at her with shock. She had desire and determination on her face. "We have to face this man. We both need closure."

I yanked from her hold. "The only thing you want is revenge."

She narrowed her eyes. "So what if I do?"

Standing from the boulder, I stepped over to the lapping waves staring at the rising sun. "Revenge isn't the answer Katara… I want him dead as much as you do, but that will only make us low life's like him."

"Amber! Please!" Katara came over to my side grabbing my shoulder desperately. "I need to do this. I need to face him. I want to look into the eyes of the man who killed my mom." I winced when she said '_my _mom'. It felt like a slap in the face almost. Katara noticed, correcting herself. "I mean our mom."

"Why…?" I asked painfully. "Why are you forcing me to remember such a horrendous event?"

Katara came in front of me, placing both of her hands on my shoulders. She was so desperate to go on this stupid mission with Zuko. "You've been holding this in for so many years… aren't you ready to finally let out all of your pain… Let out all of your anger and hurt on the very man who caused it to you."

Grabbing her hands from my shoulders, I sighed heavily. "You really want to do this so terribly?" Katara nodded, her eyes moist as she felt passionate about this plan. "Fine…" I whispered. "I'll come…" She went to speak but I cut her off. "But once I tell you who the killer is that's it. I'm not going to help you take the life of another man."

Katara beamed. Jumping forward, she wrapped her arms around me crying, "Thank you, Amber! Thank you so much!" She took off back toward camp to tell Zuko and Kale. I watched her go with agony. A few minutes passed as I stared at the spot she had been in silence. With heavy feet, I started to walk. The memories seeped back into my mind as I headed back to camp slowly. My heart constricted as I felt the fear and agony come back to me. My nose burned as I smelled the burning flesh once more. My arm ached in the spot that once had third degree burns.

The memories kept coming, and the more they did the more I gave up on stopping them.

When I got back to camp almost ten minutes after Katara, I was surprised to see Aang and Katara were having an argument. Katara had a pack of supplies on her back, Zuko and Kale standing behind her with some supplies of their own. Aang stood in their path, blocking them from Appa. Suki, Sokka, and Toph stood on the sideline not sure what to do.

Zuko spoke as I entered the campsite. "Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it. And I know how to find him."

Aang didn't look like he liked this plan. "Umm... and what exactly do you think this would accomplish?"

Katara shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She turned and started to walk off.

Aang stopped her. "Wait, stop, I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sand benders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?"

Zuko stood up for Katara. "She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice."

"I don't think so," Aang said. "I think it's about getting revenge."

Katara scowled. "Fine! Maybe it is. Maybe that's what I need. Maybe that's what he deserves!"

Aang was taken off guard. "Katara, you sound like Jet."

Katara defended herself. "It's not the same. Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster!"

The next person to speak took me off guard. It was Sokka. "Katara, she was my Mother too. But I think Aang might be right."

"Then you didn't love her the way I did!"

Sokka was stunned. "Katara…"

Aang managed to find a saying to try and cool the situation. "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed ratviper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "That's cute. But this isn't air temple pre-school. It's the real World."

Katara held her ground. "Now that I know he's out there, now that I know we could find him, I feel like I have no choice."

"Katara," Aang began. "You do have a choice. Forgiveness."

Zuko spoke up again. "That's the same as doing nothing."

Aang shook his head. "No it's not. It's easy to do nothing… But it's hard to forgive."

"It's not just hard. It's impossible," Katara snapped.

Sokka sighed. His eyes caught sight of me then, and he said to Katara. "How do you think Amber feels about all of this? You're throwing her into a very hard situation. It took us almost two years to get our sister completely back after that horrible event. Why are you causing her all of this pain?"

"She wants this as much as I do!"

Sokka looked over at me. "Is that true Amber… Do you really want this?"

I hung my head not sure what I wanted. I did want closure, but at the same time I was scared. No, not scared… I was terrified to face my mother's killer. After a moment, I said softly, "I want to help Katara."

"See! She's fine!" Katara walked over to me grabbing my shoulder. "Amber wants to do this too!" Tears threatened to spill, but I held them in. My stomach twisted in knots as I felt nauseous. The smell of burning flesh still hung in my nose.

"Just think about this," Aang said. "Don't be rash."

Katara took her hand off of my shoulder. "Fine. Whatever!" She left the group returning to her tent.

A short silence fell over the rest of us. Finally, Sokka walked over to me and grabbed my chin softly forcing me to look up into his eyes. "I know you Amber… I can read you from a mile away. Why are you doing this? You know it will only hurt you worse the more you get involved."

Tears formed in my eyes. "For Katara…" I whispered. "She needs this." Pulling from Sokka, I walked away from the group too. They watched me go and I knew they were all worried about me.

Later that night Kale, Katara, Zuko, and I prepared to go on our mission. I hadn't spoken a word all day, even through lunch and dinner. Katara found us all black outfits to wear. I didn't question where she'd gotten them from. Putting on the clothes, I felt like we were ninjas or something. I didn't comment on that though, as the four of us made our way toward Appa across camp. Katara did her hair up in a ponytail, and I decided to do the same.

We eventually made it to Appa and started to climb on board. As we did Sokka and Aang emerged from their hiding spot behind a rock.

Aang exclaimed, "So you were just going to take Appa anyway!"

Katara controlled her tone. "Yes."

Aang sighed. "It's okay, because I forgive you." He smiled at her. "That give you any ideas?"

Katara looked over at Zuko, Kale, and I with determination. Darting her eyes back to Aang, she firmly said, "Don't try to stop us."

"I wasn't planning to. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Katara nodded and climbed up on Appa. Kale followed her lead, but I stayed down on the ground. "But when you do, please don't choose revenge." Zuko took my bag from me and tossed it into the saddle above. "Let your anger out and then let it go. Forgive him."

Zuko seemed annoyed by Aang's preaching. "Okay, we'll be sure to do that guru-goody-goody." He turned and started to climb on Appa.

I went to follow, but Sokka grabbed my wrist before I could. Looking at him with question, I saw worry in his eyes. "You don't have to do this… You can turn back right now."

Shutting my eyes tightly, I stepped forward and hugged Sokka. He hugged me back. "No… I thought it over today. I need to do this." Pulling away from him, I hung my head a bit. "Katara's right… I need closure." Turning, I climbed up Appa and Kale helped me fully onto the saddle.

Katara spoke once more. "Thanks for understanding Aang. Yip yip." The giant flying bison took off into the night sky, and I leaned back against the saddle with agony. This was it. Soon I would be facing my mother's killer. I hoped I was ready…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That's part one! On to part two!**


	18. Facing the Monster Part 2

**A/N: Here's part two!**

* * *

><p>Pulling my knees close to my chest, I hugged them tightly to me as we continued to fly through the night sky. Kale pulled me close to him, and I let him enjoying his comforting embrace. It had already been an hour of flying, and the group had been silent the whole time.<p>

After another few minutes of silence, Zuko finally leaned forward to talk to my sister who had hold of Appa's reins. "We should be getting close now. We need to find the Fire Navy communication tower. All the navy's movements are coordinated by messenger hawk. And every tower has to be up to date on where everyone is deployed."

Katara nodded. "So once we find the communication tower, we bust in and take the information we need."

Zuko shook his head. "Not exactly. We need to be stealthy and make sure no one spots us. Otherwise, they'll warn The Southern Raiders... Long before we reach them."

Kale smirked. "Shouldn't be a problem. You and Amber snuck into a prison earlier this week if I do recall."

Zuko looked over at me, and I dropped my gaze not wanting to talk just yet. Terribly I wanted to tell them all the memories flooding through my head, but I decided it wasn't time yet. They'd hear my story when I felt it was time to tell it. While Zuko gave directions to Katara on where the tower was, I touched my water tribe bracelet and stared at it from the light of the full moon.

"_Stop! Mom! You killed my mom!"_

"_And now I'll burn you!"_

A gasp escaped me. Tears had formed in my eyes, and quickly I brushed them away. The memories wouldn't stop. "Amber," Zuko began. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," I cut him off, my voice coming out harder than I wanted it to. Turning from everyone, I stared off at the moon not wanting them to see how pained I was.

Eventually we reached the naval tower. The tower was built on a lone very large rock jutting out of the ocean. The tower had one big tall building, and a bunch of smaller facilities. It was dark so the soldiers couldn't see us as we approached. Appa landed on a flat piece of the giant rock, and Zuko and Katara prepared to go. "You two stay here," Zuko had told Kale and I. "This parts easy."

As he and Katara disappeared from view to go storm the tower, Kale and I sat in silence. After a few minutes of not speaking, I finally said, "I'm sorry for earlier back at camp. I shouldn't have snapped at you so much."

Kale was taken completely off guard by my apology. He frowned. "You have nothing to apologize for. If anyone should apologize it's me. I shouldn't have pried so much over your mom. This is causing you a lot of pain."

Shutting my eyes, I pulled my knees to my chest again. "No… I need to stop pushing my memories away. This is what I need. I need to be able to let the pain inside me go."

Kale wrapped an arm around my heavy shoulders, saying softly, "I'll be by your side the whole way."

A good thirty minutes passed and finally Zuko and Katara were back. They both climbed onto Appa's saddle, and we took off once more through the sky. When we were away from the Fire Navy communications tower, Kale asked, "So what did you find out?"

Zuko answered. "The Southern Raiders are on patrol near Whaletail Island. It will take a few hours, so everyone should get some rest." A few hours… In a few hours I would see that monster again.

Katara scoffed. "Rest… How can I rest when I'm so close to facing the man who killed mom? I'll rest when that monster is dead."

Silence fell over the group. No one knew how to respond. After a good ten minutes of nothing, Zuko spoke again. "Just to have an idea…was the man who killed your mom a fire bender? I just want to know who we're about to face."

Katara answered, saying softly, "She was burned alive… so I guess he is."

I decided now was the perfect time. Now was my chance to tell them all what happened that day. I'd never told another living soul what I'd seen or heard that day, so I wasn't sure where to start.

Finally, I found my voice. Tears were already falling from my eyes before I even started. "It feels like so long ago since that monster took mom away." My voice was stronger than it had been all day. The group jumped when I spoke, and everyone was paying attention to me now. Kale and Zuko sat in the saddle, staring at me with question. Katara still held the reins, but looked back at me with surprise. She couldn't believe I was about to tell what happened to mom. She was eager to know though.

"You guys want to hear what happened, don't you?" They were speechless. After a moment Zuko nodded. Taking in a hard breath, I let my memories take me over. "It's not a pretty story… Actually it's one of the worst stories you may ever hear but I guess I'm ready to tell it…" I took a moment, gathering my thoughts. Finally I spoke. "The day the Fire Nation came to our village, I was with mom in the tent we used to call home. She was stitching up some of father's clothing while I folded some sheets that had been hanging on the line outside to dry. We had no clue the Fire Nation even reached our shore until we heard the warriors let out battle cries. I was so scared…"

_The shouts from outside the tent made the hairs on my neck stand up. "Mommy… What's happening?"_

_Looking over at my mom, I saw her stand and walk over to the tent door peeking outside. Pulling the blanket I'd started to fold close to me, I hugged it tightly in fear. I'd heard stories about past Fire Nation raids, but the last raid we had happened years before Sokka, Katara, and I were even born. _

_My mother gasped. "The Fire Nation…" She pulled away from the tent flap and headed back over to me. Kneeling in front of me, she took both of my hands in hers. "Listen to me Kaya… We're under attack right now." I whimpered, tears pulling in my eyes. She pressed her hand to my cheek trying to calm me down. "I need you to keep calm. I'll protect you."_

_More shouts were heard, and I shut my eyes terrified. Mother sat beside me, trying to comfort me as she hugged me close to her. "Where's Sokka and Katara?"_

_She pressed her face into my hair, saying, "They're probably with your grandmother. It's alright… We'll see them as soon as the battle's over." My mother was trying to comfort me as much as she could._

_It was only a moment later when we heard something… The sound of soldiers getting closer to us. "They said the water bender's over here," a soldier said over the sound of the battle. Soldiers entered our home then, pushing through the tent flap. My mother stood and pulled me behind her to protect me. I peeked my head around her body to see what was going on. _

_The soldiers all got in a circle, their spears pointed toward my mother for precaution. A man, maybe in his late fifties, came into the tent we were in. The soldiers cleared a path for him to get through. _

"I remember him so well," I said, my voice cracking as pain shot through me. "His head was covered by a black helmet with red wings above his eyes. Heavy wrinkles on his cruel heartless face. His eyes, a dark burnt gold with nothing but venom in them. I'll never forget his eyes…"

_The man looked down at me for a brief moment, and my mother forced us to step back. She asked through gritted teeth, "What do you want?"_

_He smirked. "You must be the woman they call Kya. My name is Commander Yon Rha. I have come to this village today on hearing that one water bender remains among you all." He took a step forward, his lips curling up. "Seeing as water benders are forbidden here, I thought I'd see if the rumors were true. Your villagers tell me I can find the water bender here." _

_My mother backed us up some more. "There is no water bender here. I don't know where you're getting your sources, but they're wrong." _

_He looked back down at me, and then looked over to one of his soldiers. "Grab that kid and bring her to me."_

_My mother gasped as the soldier stepped forward to grab me. She placed herself between the soldier and I, snapping, "Leave her out of this! She's just a child!"_

_The soldier ignored my mother and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. He shoved her out of the way and she stumbled falling on the ground. "Mom!" I went to rush over to her, but the soldier already grabbed my arm and yanked me over to the monster. The monster watched the scene with pleasure. _

"_Here's the deal," Commander Yon Rha began. He grabbed me from the soldier and I cried out in fear. My mom was to her feet again and looked horrified. "Tell me who the water bender is, and I'll release the child unharmed. Don't tell me, and her face will be burned to a crisp." He held his fist to my face, and I cringed away with a shriek. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight him. My fire bending wouldn't be as strong as his. I could still barely hold a steady flame._

"_Kaya!" My mother stared at me with terror. She had tears in her eyes as she glared daggers at the man. "Leave her alone!"_

_The man sneered. "Tell me what I want to know and I'll release her. Who's the water bender?"_

_My mother shook her head. "There are no water benders here. The Fire Nation took them all away a long time ago."_

_The man growled, yanking me closer to him. His fingers dug into my shoulder painfully. His knuckles grazed against my cheek making me whimper in fear. "You're lying. My source says there's one water bender left in The Southern Water Tribe. We're not leaving until we find the water bender."_

_Was he talking about Katara? My little sister was just a beginner. She was just learning the ropes. Why would the Fire Nation want her?_

_My mother looked at me with eyes full of agony. She knew what she had to do, and it wasn't until she did it that I understood. She stared at the man with venom, but asked, "If I tell you, do you promise to release my daughter and leave the rest of the village alone?"_

_The man's hold on my shoulder wavered, surprised by my mother's sudden cooperation. He nodded to give her his answer. _

_My mother hung her head, getting on her knees in defeat. "It's me. Take me as your prisoner."_

_I struggled in Yon Rha's hold horrified by what my mom had said. "No! Mom! No!" _

_The man tossed me forward, and I was caught and restrained by the same soldier from before. He pulled me to the side of the room, and I struggled wildly. The Commander stepped closer to my mother, his fist clenched tightly. "I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today."_

_My mother looked up at him with terror. He lit a flame that enveloped his whole fist; the hot fire bouncing madly like it was excited to kill. My mother gasped, going to get to her feet. The man kicked her in the face though, his steel boot knocking the wind out of my mother. She fell flat on the ground, and from what I could see blood trickled down her chin from her lip._

"_Mom! Stop! Stop!" Sobs escaped as I fought in the soldiers hold. He held me firmly, but I felt his body had become tense. _

"_Commander… The order was-"_

_The Commander looked at the soldier holding onto me with sharp eyes. "Silence! The Fire Lord ordered us to find the water bender. He didn't indicate what to do after!" He turned back to my mother who was trying to get on her knees. He kicked her hard in the stomach this time, and she cried out in agony. "Some water bender you are! You won't even fight back!" He kicked her repeatedly, and she let him._

"_No! Mom! Stop! Stop hurting her!"_

_The Commander snapped at me, "Shut up you brat!" He kicked my mom again._

_Sobs were wracking through my body as I watched the monster beat, torture, and kill her before my very eyes. "Mom!" I struggled some more. "Please! Stop! Don't hurt her!"_

_My mother's pained blue eyes looked over at me. Tears were pouring down her face as she met my horrified gaze. "Kaya… I love you so much… Take care of your brother and sister… They need you…" The warden kicked her again, and this time I heard the crack of her ribs. She couldn't hold it in anymore for my sake. This time she screamed in agony._

"_MOM!"_

_The monster looked directly at me, while my mom tried to breathe through the pain. "Watch closely girl… It's an honor for a daughter to watch her mother die." He was so heartless. So cruel. "Let's be done with this." _

"He lit a flame and shot it right at mom. She screamed as the fire tore into her skin and killed her…"

I stopped talking, my voice breaking as I heard the scream of my mother dying pierce through my skull. It was then I realized I was shaking. My whole body trembled as I spoke about the nightmare I'd only ever dreamed. Kale was holding me close to him, and I hadn't even realized he had pulled me into his arms. Zuko looked torn by everything I had spoken so far. My eyes looked over at Katara, and I saw she was hunched over the reins, crying too as she listened to my memories.

"Amber…" Kale whispered. "You don't have to finish…"

I shook my head. I needed to do this. I needed to tell it through to the end. "No… I want to finish this…" Taking in a deep breath to try and calm down, I spoke again when I thought I was ready. "The smell of burning flesh is something you can never forget… I remember the sick smell so well. My nose burned… My eyes burned… It's a smell that makes you gag, even if you don't want to…"

_My dead mother lied on the ground, the flames slowly dying as they ate up the last of her skin. She'd stopped breathing a few minutes ago, letting her soul be carried away. She looked horrible, her body covered in burns and boils. Her clothing and hair were singed, and she even was bleeding in a few places. One of the soldiers beside the one who restrained me had thrown up from the sick smell that radiated through the air. _

_The Commander stepped up to my mom's charred and lifeless body, nudging her with his steel boot. "Feast your eyes men. Here lies the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe. This just goes to show that water is no match for fire. May she rot in the snow." The soldier holding onto me finally let me go. Without hesitating, I ran over to my mother and dropped beside her, bursting into sobs. Her skin was hot, and the smell would've made me gag if I wasn't too agonized by my mother's death. _

"_Mommy! Mommy, no!"_

_My body convulsed as sobs poured from me. I pressed my face into my mother's singed shirt, just wanting to die with her._

"_Your mother's dead! Stop crying!" _

_I ignored him. I sobbed more. He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me up from my mother. I kicked and screamed, scratching at his hand when pain shot through my scalp. "Stop! Mom! You killed my mom!"_

_The Commander hissed, "And now I'll burn you!" He grabbed my arm and lit fire from his hand. The pain of the flames eating at my skin was intense, but not as intense as the pain I felt in my heart. _

"The monster threw me on mother's body, and then he and the soldiers left. I was still lying on mom's body when dad came running into the tent. You all know the rest…"

Silence fell over the group when I finished my story. No one knew what to say. No one knew how to respond. Kale held me close, torn himself by the story I had just told. Katara sobbed silently, picturing everything I had just spoken in her head. Zuko even had tears in his eyes, something you very rarely saw. Hanging my head, I stared down at the water tribe bracelet on my wrist. Though the story was painful, I actually felt an odd feeling flow through me. Relief. It felt like the burden of mom's death was finally lifted from me. I felt free at last.

A small smile came to my face. Looking up at the moon, I pictured my mother. Wherever she was right now, spirit world or not, I wondered if she was smiling down at me for my courage to finally share.

Finally, Zuko spoke up. "Amber… I- I can't believe-" he stopped, realizing he didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine what it was like for such a young girl to watch her mother die in front of her eyes. Finally he found the words to speak to me. "You kept all of this to yourself… for so many years?"

Looking away from the group, I said softly, "It was my burden to bear… I couldn't tell anyone what I saw… It would just make me relive the nightmare. I kept it to myself because I was too weak to share… That is until now." Looking at everyone on Appa, I said, "You all wanted to know what happened to mom. Well that's what happened."

Kale tightened his hold, as if he were afraid to let me go. As if letting me go I would shatter into a million pieces.

A few hours passed after I spoke. Zuko had taken over the reins from Katara, pretty much ordering her to get in the saddle. She was still crying when she crawled into the saddle, and when she did I hugged her tightly. She hugged me back, her shoulders heavy. "I can't believe you went through that… I can't believe you never told me… never told dad or Sokka…"

"I never knew what to say," I softly said. "I guess I blamed myself for not fighting that day. I should've used my fire bending… I should've stopped him… I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

As the hours passed Katara and I had stopped crying both of us feeling a sense of relief. It was nice to finally be able to tell Katara about that day. I think Katara was relieved to know what had really happened to mom.

"There!" We all jumped when we heard Zuko shout suddenly. He was peeking through a telescope that I assumed he stole from the Fire Navy Communications Tower. He tossed it to Katara who looked through. "See those sea raven flags?" He pointed in the distance, and Kale and I tried to get a look. Down on the water below was a giant ship. The night was still dark, but the sun would be coming up soon so we had to do this fast. "It's the Southern Raiders."

Katara lowered the telescope, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Let's do this."

Appa immediately lowered down toward the water, and Katara stood preparing to water bend. We submerged below the water, Katara bending an air bubble around us. It was dark underwater, but Appa seemed to know where to go. Eventually we resurfaced, and Katara quickly used her water bending to shoot a whip up on board and throw a man into the sea. She then left Appa, using water to create a huge wave and shoot herself on board the ship. We heard screams as she nocked more soldiers overboard.

When we landed Appa on the ship and jumped off, Katara was still fighting off some soldiers with her water. Zuko, Kale, and I joined her in the fight. I knocked five soldiers overboard with my fire bending, while Zuko knocked as many as he could overboard. Kale used his warrior skills and threw a few men overboard himself. When the deck was cleared, we ran up some steel stairs into the main hall of the ship.

"We have to get to the control room. That's where the leader will be," Zuko said.

We ran down the hall, up some more stairs, and through a steel door into another hall. Eventually we reached another steel door that actually read 'control room'. My body froze just as we reached the door. We were really doing this. We were really about to see the man that killed my mother. Was I really ready for this?

Zuko said to both Katara and I, "This is it. Are you two ready to face him?"

Katara nodded for her response.

I still felt a little uneasy. "Let's just get it over with."

"We're with you," Zuko promised, having noticed I wavered a bit. He placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. I smiled weakly.

Katara stepped in front of us prepared to break the door open. She met my eyes for a moment, as if to make sure I was ready. I nodded to her, saying, "Let's do this."

Katara shot water at the door busting it open. As soon as the door was open, I rushed forward to block a flame that I knew would come. Zuko ran around me and fired his own fire at the man that I couldn't see clearly through the flames. He fired at the man's feet who jumped back in shock.

"Who are you?"

The man's question was directed at all of us. When he spoke though I immediately knew… His voice wasn't right. Stepping back, I was dumbfounded. I still hadn't gotten a view of the man, but I knew immediately he wasn't mother's killer. Kale noticed my action and looked at me with question.

"You don't remember her?" Zuko asked, gesturing toward me when he spoke. "You will soon. Trust me."

Finally I had a good look at the man. He was strong and in his early forties. His hair was black underneath the helmet he wore. His gold eyes were light and confused. His goatee and sideburns were sharp showing a rugged look. The uniform he wore was updated from the one I saw in my memories. He was definitely not the monster.

His body suddenly jerked, and he gasped when Katara took control of the water in his body. She gritted her teeth, tears in her eyes as she forced him down on his knees with her blood bending. "What? What's happening to me?"

"Katara…" I tried to say. I was cut off though.

Zuko snapped at the man, "Think back. Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please, I don't know!"

"Zuko… Stop," I tried to say.

He ignored me and stepped forward. "Don't lie! You look her," he pointed at me and continued, "in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did!"

The man looked up at me with utter confusion. Tears were pouring out of my eyes.

"Zuko! Katara! Stop!" Everyone was surprised when Kale spoke. Katara released the man, and he fell on his knees gasping for air. Zuko stepped back in surprise. Gesturing to me, Kale snapped, "Amber's been trying to tell you something!"

They looked at me with question. I took in a hard breath crossing my arms and hanging my head. "It's not him… He's not the monster we're looking for."

Katara was amazed. "What? Are you sure?"

I nodded.

Zuko scowled. "But he's the leader of the Southern Raiders!"

"You brought me to identify the man," I said softly, turning to leave. "It's not him. We're wasting our time."

Walking outside of the room, I fell against the steel wall with my hand holding me up. I heard Zuko snapping at the man inside, but I didn't hear what he said. I felt somewhat relieved. I was relieved that the man behind the door wasn't Commander Yon Rha. When Katara had burst open the door a few moments earlier I wasn't ready.

Kale got in front of me, his hand gently brushing a lock of my fire red highlight aside. It must've fallen out of the ponytail I put it in. "Hey… You okay?"

Nodding weakly, I hung my head. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. I don't know if I can do this. I'm scared to face him."

"We can back out now… We don't have to continue," Kale said softly.

I shut my eyes tightly. Shaking my head, I said softly, "No… I have to do this… For Katara at least..."

Kale grabbed my chin forcing me to meet his eyes. "Amber… You need to think about yourself too."

Zuko and Katara suddenly came out of the control room, both of them looking determined. "We found out where he is," Zuko said. "Let's go!" They started to rush back down the hall, and Kale and I had no choice but to follow. When we got back out of the ship and on deck, we clambered onto Appa and Zuko took the reins once more. Soon we were flying back into the sky, and I sat back trying to calm my pulsing heart.

I was ready… I had to be ready… I refused to be weak in front of that monster again. I really needed to get my head straight before we got to where Yon Rha was.

Time slipped by pretty fast as the sun began to rise. Eventually we reached land and Zuko pointed toward a spot with a bunch of rough looking hills. From the distance you could see a Fire Nation settlement on one of the hillsides. Appa landed underneath some trees, and we left him to walk the rest of the way to the small village.

The way to the village was uneven and rough, but eventually we made our way into the market area. We stayed to the shadows so no one would see us. If we were seen they'd probably send guards after us for looking like thieves in our all black outfits. The village from what I could see was very small, with maybe seventy people living in it.

"Well, well… Yon Rha. Haven't seen you around for a while. You're ma treating you like crap still," a male voice asked.

The monster's voice spoke up, saying, "That old hag… One day I'll be free of her."

"Don't let her know you feel that way. She'll beat you to a pulp."

The others had noticed I'd frozen. They turned and looked at me with question. Ignoring them, I inched forward around the wall so I could peek over at the monster. From the distance, I saw he was older than before, but he didn't look too different. His head wasn't covered by a helmet so I saw he had gray hair that brushed the nape of his neck. He also had some of his hair in a small topknot too.

He turned suddenly looking around with narrowed eyes. He couldn't see us from the dark shadow of the building we stood beside, but he could almost sense someone was watching him. He asked the man at the stand he was buying food from, "Did you see someone?" The man shook his head in response. When Yon Rha's dark amber eyes glanced my way again, I knew it was the monster. He still had nothing but hate and evil inside him.

"That's him," I whispered. "That's the monster."

My sister growled beside me, ready to attack. Zuko and Kale both grabbed her to stop her. Zuko said, "Not yet… Wait till we have him alone."

We followed the monster away from the village, down a snaking road that led farther from civilization. As we followed him down the path, we stuck behind bushes and trees so he wouldn't see. Our feet rustled some leaves and the man turned sharply, snapping, "Hello?"

We stayed hidden pretty well, continuing to follow the man. Eventually we got to the point where we decided it was time to face him. I had just the idea of how to direct his attention away from us for a moment. Picking up a rock beside the tree we stood behind, I tossed it over to a bush hard.

The sound of the rock hitting the dirt made Yon Rha jump and turn to the bush. "Nobody sneaks up on me," he dropped his basket and all his contents spilled out, "without being burned." He shot a blast of fire at the bushes in the distance, and they burst into flames.

He only used fire to kill.

The monster knelt on the ground picking up the groceries he had spilled. Zuko took his distraction as our way into the fight. Zuko jumped out into view and shot a blast of fire at the old man's feet. He gasped and jumped back falling on his butt.

"We weren't behind the bush!" Zuko stepped forward, his hand in a fist as he prepared to fire at the man again. "And I wouldn't try fire bending again!"

Kale, Katara, and I stepped out from behind the tree and made our way over. Katara stepped closer than the rest of us, her eyes filled with tears as she faced mom's killer for the first time.

Yon Rha was terrified for his life. "Whoever you are, take my money. Take whatever you want, I'll cooperate!" He backed up, his eyes no longer ready to kill but full of horror.

"We don't want your money," my sister hissed. She looked ready to lash at our mom's killer.

Taking in a hard breath, I stepped over to the man who looked at me with question. My voice came out stronger and more confident than I expected. "Do you know who I am?"

The man looked at me with confusion. "No… I'm not sure."

Katara snapped, "You better remember her after what you put her through!" She took a step closer to the man who flinched away from her. "You better remember her like your life depends on it!" Kale and Zuko were a bit surprised by Katara's sudden anger. She gestured toward me. "Look into her eyes! Figure it out!"

The man met my eyes, and I felt all the fear I had toward this man suddenly wash away. He wasn't a monster… He was just a weak selfish man who only cared about himself. Originally I had wanted him dead. I'd wanted him dead so much. I wanted him to burn like mom did. Looking into his eyes now though, I wasn't so sure if killing him would solve anything. It would just make me a weak selfish person like him.

His eyes widened as he began to recognize me. "Yes… I remember you… At the Southern Water Tribe… You were that little girl the water bender was trying to protect. The one I-" he stopped, realization coming to him. "I burned you… and then I tossed you on your mother's dead body."

"You were a fool that day," I said softly. "Letting someone trick you like that so easily." My sister stepped forward, her fist tightening. "You didn't kill the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe that day." He looked at me with shock and astonishment. "You killed my mother, an innocent woman who didn't deserve the death you gave her."

The man's voice cracked as he spoke. "What…? Sh-she said she was the water bender!"

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms for comfort. "She lied… She was protecting the last water bender from you."

"What? Who?!"

My sister shoved me aside, getting me out of her way. Rain had started to fall, and I hadn't even realized it. Katara screamed through fury, "ME!" When I heard her voice, I knew she wasn't going to forgive. She was going to kill.

The water around us stopped in midair. Kale grabbed my shoulder pulling me back beside him and Zuko. Katara stopped the rain around us, and we watched her take her revenge. She used the rain and created a dome above us. As the dome hung above us, Katara's eyes narrowed ready to make the final blow on the pathetic man.

"_Don't let her do this to him," _Roku suddenly said. _"There's another way to make him suffer."_

I knew exactly what Roku was saying. Rushing forward, I got in front of the man's quivering body just as Katara created spikes and shot them down. Using fire, I shot at the spikes and they all turned into steam in the air. Katara stopped bending, her eyes wide when she saw I had stopped her attack.

She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Amber! What are you doing?! Move!"

Shaking my head, I said, "No. I won't let you kill this man."

Katara shouted, "This is what I need! That monster needs to die!"

"No… Revenge isn't the answer."

My sister went to argue again, but then she stopped. We looked into one another's eyes for a moment, and finally she hung her head in defeat.

The man behind me fell on his knees then, hanging his head in terror. I turned to face him, a frown on my face. He was shaking, his eyes closed tight. "I did a bad thing. I know I did and you deserve revenge. So why don't you take my mother? That would be fair."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I always wondered what kind of man could kill a woman without any hesitation. Now looking at you I've found my answer. You're a weak selfish man. You were always weak… Even when you came to the Southern Water Tribe you were weak. Your heart is full of nothing but bitterness and evil. You're nothing but a worm in the dirt. You made me watch my mother die… You made me watch as you burned her alive…" I stopped, wiping my eyes to clear my vision. When I managed to gather myself, I spoke again. "For so many years I looked back on that day with agony and pain. I was afraid of you, especially whenever you plagued me in my dreams. Now I see that I shouldn't have feared you. What is there to fear? You're just a stupid old man who has no one. Your own mother treats you like the dirt she walks on."

The man flinched by what I said.

"I'm not going to do what you did to me. I'm not a killer like you…"

Katara spoke up, snapping, "Amber! We can't just let him off the hook after everything he's done to you and mom!"

Tightening my fist I kept my eyes on the trembling man as I promised her, "I'm not letting him off the hook." The man looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He looked like he was begging me not to kill him. "You used your fire bending to hurt others. You killed people, burning them alive with the fire you controlled. You abused others with your gift, and I was even one of your victims… Fire is an element that shouldn't be used in such ways." A glow started to form over my body as my spiritual self started to take over. "I'm taking your fire away. You will never be able to hurt others again."

He looked shocked when he saw the glow that had formed around my body. "Wha- what are you?!"

My hand pressed against his forehead, and he gasped when I made contact with his skin. The raging fire inside him slowly left him as I pulled it from his control. His eyes went out of focus as I took his gift from him, his fire flowing instead through my own veins. When I was sure I'd taken his ability from him, I stepped away and felt the glow around my body fade as my spirit rested within me once more. He slumped to the ground as his strength left him. He was no longer able to hurt people with his bending.

He tried to pull himself back up, his body still shaking with terror. "Wha- what did you do to me? What are you?"

Stepping back, I stood beside Katara who was speechless by what I'd just done. "My name is Amber, known by others as the Spirit of Fire. Just as you took something I cherished from me, I've done the same to you. Your fire is gone."

He growled. "What?! You're lying!" He jumped up and threw his fist toward me. Nothing happened. His eyes widened. "What?" He smashed his fist forward again, but still nothing. He tried again, and again: Still nothing. "My fire! My fire is gone!"

Turning, I walked away from the man as he shouted in fury and punched his fists repeatedly. Kale, Zuko, and Katara followed me without making a sound, too stunned by what I had just done to speak. The man still shouted behind us, grunting as he tried to fire bend over and over again. He was wasting his time. He no longer controlled the flames he once used to kill.

When we got back on Appa sometime later, and we took off to the sky, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'd faced him… I'd faced the man who killed my mom… He took away my mother, and I took away his fire. We'd both lost something we valued. Now we were even.

Katara didn't seem too pleased though. "That man deserved a worse fate than that! You should've let me kill him!" She sat against the side of the saddle, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.

"And what would that have solved?"

She scowled at my question. "Everything! That monster would be gone forever!"

"A monster is someone who kills… I couldn't let you sink as low as him."

"So you just let him walk away!"

"No… I evened the score. He took away our mom, Katara, someone we loved and cherished… I took away his fire, something he loved and cherished. His strength is gone, and now he's nothing."

Katara went to retaliate again, but she couldn't come up with a comeback. The rest of our flight was silent. Even Zuko and Kale didn't know what to say. Eventually, around mid afternoon, Zuko landed Appa on a sandy island that he said was Ember Island. The name sounded familiar, and I realized only a few moments later that it was the island our old family beach house was at.

Katara was the first to slide off Appa. She walked away from us over to an old pier and plopped down at the end staring off toward the sea.

"Should we go talk to her?" Kale asked.

Shaking my head, I answered softly, "Just give her some time alone."

Kale and I slid off of Appa, and Zuko took off once again through the air to go round up the others. While Zuko was gone, Kale and I sat on the sand letting the warm ocean breeze calm our nerves. After not saying anything for a few minutes, I finally spoke, "Thanks for coming today Kale… I couldn't have done this without you."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I rested my head on his shoulder as he said softly, "There was no way I was letting you go on another adventure without me."

More time passed. Kale eventually pulled out some fruit from the pack he brought off of Appa and handed me two moon peaches. I knew what he was saying. He wanted me to go talk to my sister.

Leaving him by the beach, I headed down the pier my sister sat on. Without saying a word I plopped down beside her on the damp wood. She glanced my way briefly, but then she looked back at the lapping waves below her feet.

"I know you're mad at me," I began. "I know you wanted to find closure but—"

"It's okay," Katara said, cutting me off. My mouth shut in surprise. "You're right. Killing him would've only made me a monster. I don't forgive him, and I never will, but I do accept the fate he received." She took the moon peach from my hand, as if she were saying sorry for snapping at me earlier. I smiled, glad she understood.

The sun soon began to set. Kale had joined Katara and I on the pier when he saw we'd made amends. He sat on the other side of me so I was in the middle. We were having a conversation about everything, and it seemed like the events from the last twenty-four hours were being left behind. We were moving forward, focusing on bringing peace back to the world.

A groan sounded eventually. We looked up to see Appa fly over us and land on the beach behind us. On his saddle was the rest of the group. Aang and Zuko slid off and made their way over to us on the pier. We stood and met them halfway.

"Zuko told me what happened," Aang said when he reached us. "I'm proud of you guys. Instead of taking out revenge, you found the strength to forgive."

Katara crossed her arms. "I didn't forgive him though… I never will." She looked over at Zuko though and smiled. "But I do forgive you." She rushed forward and hugged him, and he hugged her back surprised by her sudden embrace. She left him then, heading back down the pier toward the sand.

"Well I say that was a mission accomplished," Kale said.

Zuko sighed with relief, glad Katara finally accepted him. It must've been a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders.

Aang looked over at me. "How are you doing? Zuko told us about what happened to your mom. It must've been hard facing the man who did that to you."

"Honestly," I began. "I feel relieved… Facing him was difficult, but doing it made me stronger. It was nice finally letting go of the pain."

"You have a good heart. Your mom's proud of you, I'm sure."

I blushed a bit at Aang's compliment. Then I looked over at my brother. "You really helped me and Katara today, Zuko. Thanks for everything." Walking over to him, I hugged him and he hugged me back with a strong embrace.

"Anytime sis," he promised.

Kale and I headed back down the pier then, leaving Zuko and Aang to talk for a moment. We approached Appa and the others a few seconds later, and Sokka ran over pulling me into his own brotherly embrace. I hugged him back, glad to see him again.

"Thank you, Amber…" Sokka said. "You did the right thing not letting her kill him. She would've never forgiven herself."

"Just looking out for my family," I said softly. Pulling from Sokka, I hung my head a bit. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about mom. You deserved to know, and I kept it from you."

Sokka waved me off. "No big deal… The past is the past. Let's not dwell on it too much." He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and I sighed with relief.

Sokka was right… There was no more time to dwell on the past. The most important thing was focusing on the future. The most important thing was defeating the Fire Lord and restoring peace and balance to the world.

"So now what?"

We looked over to see Toph and Suki standing beside Appa. Toph had been the one to speak.

Zuko approached with Aang following behind. "I say we take a day off from all this chaos… There's a beach house not too far from here we can stay in. It can help us all clear our heads before we decide our next step."

Aang beamed. "Sounds like fun! It will be like a mini-vacation!"

"Lead the way Zuko," Sokka said, clamping my oldest brother on his shoulder.

As everyone got back on Appa so we could fly to the beach house, I stared back at the waves. The sun was still lowering in the sky, and as it set beautiful rays shot out across the horizon.

"_I'm proud of you Amber… You did well today," _Roku said.

"Thanks," I whispered, my eyes shooting back to my water tribe bracelet. It felt good knowing I did the right thing.

"Amber! Come on!"

Not wanting to make Aang wait anymore I walked over to Appa and climbed on. Once I was in the saddle we took off back through the air.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. Thanks for reading everyone. Let me know what you all thought. I'm hoping to be done with the next chapter soon. Hopefully "The Ember Island Players" will be a good break from all this emotional depressing stuff.**


	19. A horrible play

**A/N: I'm really sorry this chapter took longer than others. I was running around a lot these last few weeks. Here is "The Ember Island Players" at last. Thanks once more for all the reviews and private messages you've been sending me over the last few days. I love hearing from you all. Enjoy!**

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><p>Standing at the wooden door, I hesitated as my hand reached for the wooden door handle. I told myself this would be a good thing, but I wasn't sure if I was ready. Zuko stood beside me, his body leaning against the wall beside the door. He had his arms crossed and his eyes staring off somewhere else. "You don't have to go in," he said. "I just thought you might want to see it."<p>

We'd arrived at the Fire Lord's beach house yesterday, and already things had calmed down from all the stress and drama that took place. The group was excited to tour such a marvelous estate, and Sokka even joked yesterday saying, "We're hiding out in the enemy's hideout. This is so cool!"

Upon arriving, Zuko showed us around the large wooden home. There were tons of finely furnished rooms with comfortable looking beds. The house had so many rooms for the servants and guards who came to the beach house when my Fire Nation family used to come here. Zuko showed us the kitchen, which was large and had a huge stove. There were tons of plates and cups too, showing this house was always kept well stocked. We then walked into the family sitting room where fine pillows were scattered around the room. The room attached to the sitting room had a fine long wooden table with large chairs.

My sister commented on how big the house was. "This is a beach house? It looks more like a mansion!"

Zuko had rubbed his neck a bit self-consciously. "Yeah… My grandfather probably raised a lot of taxes to get this place built."

"He sounds like a pleasant man," Katara said with heavy sarcasm.

"He wasn't," I muttered, crossing my arms with hard eyes.

Later that night we all chose a room to stay in. I chose a small servant room, way too tired to be picky. As soon as I plopped down on the bed I was out. I was so exhausted from the long day that had passed. In the morning when I woke up, I made my way through the house getting a little lost. There were a lot of halls and rooms, and I just couldn't find my way. My mind had no recollection of any of this from my past.

As I rounded a corner, I bumped into Zuko. He was surprised to see me, and asked what I was doing. When I confessed I was a little lost, he laughed. He led me through the house, saying he wanted to show me something. We stopped in front of a wooden door at the end of a hall, and Zuko said, "This was your room when we'd come here for vacation… I thought you might want to see it."

Now my hand hovered over the door handle, my heart pounding in my ears. I wanted to know what was behind the door, but at the same time I was nervous about what I would find. Gathering up my courage, I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. The door swung back revealing a dark dusty room. Lighting a flame in my hand to light up the room, I saw cobwebs showing no one had entered this room since I'd disappeared. Zuko followed in behind me, his arms crossed as he too entered the room for the first time in years.

A candle was on the wall beside me, and I lit it to illuminate the room some more. As the darkness finally faded I saw everything around me. There was a fine wooden bed lined against the wall, and the bed had tons of pillows on it. There were also small wooden animal toys scattered around the room. A fire nation drapery hung down the wall beside my bed, the Fire Nation emblem looking faded and covered in cobwebs. A rocking chair also sat in the corner of the room, and on the rocking chair was a stuffed platypus bear.

Walking across the room, I picked up the platypus bear which was covered in dust. It felt familiar in my hold but no memories came back to me.

"Cousin Lu Ten sent it to you a month before you were taken. You named it Pokko. I told you it was a stupid name and you just smiled and laughed." Zuko sighed. "That's one memory I've had for a long time… I guess it's because if I ever thought about you, I wanted you to be happy in my memories."

I hung my head a bit, the memory nowhere in my mind. "Sorry… I don't remember that." I actually felt guilty for not remembering a memory Zuko treasured. Placing the stuffed animal back on the chair, I crossed my arms and turned away from it. Walking across the room, I headed over to the window where the shutters were drawn.

"It's okay… I don't expect you to remember everything."

Silence fell between us. Pressing my hand on the shutter, I pushed the window out opening it and revealing bright warm sunlight outside. Looking out the window, I saw the ocean in the distance. The sun's light radiated off the water creating dancing sparkles. A salty breeze filled my nose and my hair flew back behind me. Light came into the room lighting up the remaining shadows around us.

For the first time in weeks I felt utterly relaxed.

Footsteps sounded behind us, and a moment later I heard Sokka say, "There you two are! Breakfast is ready. We have a whole day of fun planned!" He stopped talking, suddenly seeing the room for the first time. Looking over, I saw him staring at the toys and furniture with realization. He picked up the wooden ostrich-horse at his foot and stared at it with understanding.

Walking over to Sokka, I kept my arms crossed. "Sorry… Zuko wanted to show me something. We're coming."

His eyes softened as he stared at the toy in his hand. "You've always liked animals."

I rubbed my arms self-consciously. "Yeah… I guess that's something even memory loss couldn't change."

He handed the toy over to me and I took it in my hand. It felt familiar in my hold, but I had no memory of playing with it in the past. Sokka walked around the room for a moment, his eyes shooting at the toys and furniture curiously. "It's funny," he began. "You went from living in such a wealthy family to the poorest nation in the world."

Zuko spoke up. "That may be, but I'm glad she found the water tribe. She went from such a broken cruel family to one that actually cared for her. I'm jealous you all got the chance to grow up and actually be kids."

"Technically, we still are kids," I said, placing the toy I still held on the floor with the other wooden figures. "Sometimes I think we forget that."

"We passed the kids stage when Aang showed up in that iceberg," Sokka muttered.

Zuko sighed. "Time sure flies when you're trying to stop a war."

Sokka and Zuko started to head out of the room then, deciding that breakfast was too important to miss. Following them out of the room, I grabbed the wooden door ready to close it. Looking back inside one last time, I smiled slightly as I caught a glimpse of the childhood I barely remembered. Seeing the room helped me realize that not remembering everything about my past was okay. All I needed to focus on at the moment was the present.

With a flick of my wrist, the candle still burning inside the room went out. Shutting the door, I ran to catch back up to Sokka and Zuko who were walking away.

Later that morning after breakfast, we all dressed back in our Fire Nation attire. Zuko and Suki had to go steal some outfits from the town near us but they managed to get some without being caught. When everyone was in their Fire Nation disguises, we decided it would be fun to head to the beach for the day and relax.

That's just what we did. For the rest of the day we hung out on the sand or in the warm water, splashing one another, laughing, and having a great time just being kids. At one point Kale threw me over his shoulder and ran us both into the lapping waves. He fell and our bodies splashed as we hit the water. We were both drenched, but we were beaming with delight as we forgot about all the danger that was to come our way.

The day passed and eventually it was night time again. Zuko and Aang decided they would continue their training tomorrow, but until then we would enjoy one night of peace and quiet. Katara, Kale, and I gathered logs and sticks to make a large bonfire. When the fire was strong enough, the others gathered around the beautiful multicolored flames.

We sat and talked for hours, each one of us having something to say about the day that had passed. Toph told us when she spoke that it had been the most fun she'd had in months. Zuko told us it was the most fun he'd had his whole life. We were all glad to have finally had one day of relaxation and no worries.

The next day was back to our normal routine. After breakfast everyone seemed to scatter. Suki, Sokka, and Kale wanted to go into the Fire Nation town near us and see what there was to do. That left the rest of us trying to find things to do around the beach house. Eventually Zuko and Aang decided to use the time being wasted and train.

Stepping outside, I saw Katara and Toph were watching from a wooden porch as Aang and Zuko practiced fire bending on the front yard of the beach house. They shot flames simultaneously, almost making it seem like they had a memorized routine.

Plopping down beside Katara, I brushed a hand through my hair in boredom as I watched Zuko and Aang shoot fire around. Katara shot me a look of question, probably wondering why I wasn't training with the two. I didn't admit to her that I was just feeling lazy this morning. The warm summer air was too nice to practice fire bending in.

Aang glanced over at me while he and Zuko took a small breather. "Hey, Amber! Come spar with us!"

I waved him off. "Nah… Maybe later. You two look like you're doing fine on your own."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "She just doesn't want to get sweaty Aang. You know how girls are."

Toph, Katara, and I snapped simultaneously, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Zuko held up his hands in defense. "Just saying. You could prove me wrong." He looked over at me almost daring me to join their spar.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. Lying back, I stared up at the sky.

Katara nudged me. "Hey! Are you really going to let him be right?!"

"It's hot, Katara," I muttered. "I don't see you sparring."

Toph just had to add in. "Sounds to me like you're just a pig-chicken."

A scowl came on my face. "I'm not a pig-chicken!" I sat up and got to my feet. "Fine. Just for a few minutes." Zuko and Aang were about to continue sparring when I approached them in the yard.

Aang beamed when he saw I'd come to spar with them. "Great! This will be fun!" As he spoke I'd already lit a flame and shot it at him. Aang gasped and blocked the fire easily, pushing the flames aside. "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

Katara and Toph laughed. I smirked. "You wanted me to spar with you."

"Yeah, but give me a warning next time," Aang whined.

A blast of fire shot from behind me, and I darted to the left dodging my brother's attack. The flame flew to Aang again who blocked it once more with a yelp.

Aang looked a little frustrated. "Hey! Watch it Zuko!"

Zuko gave him a thumbs up. "Great block Aang!"

"Hey! I didn't even break a sweat. Fighting you two will be a piece of cake," I joked.

They both narrowed their eyes at me and fired a blast toward me. I smiled as I blocked the flames and shot my own fire back at them.

We sparred for a good thirty minutes, most of the time Aang and Zuko were ganging up on me. It was fun getting to practice my Fire Bending and warrior skills at the same time. While they fired at me, I used my speed and agility to dodge their blasts. At one point I'd managed to trip both Aang and Zuko sending them on the ground. Toph and Katara laughed at our chaotic training, watching the boys get their butts whooped.

When the sparring was over, it ended because Zuko and Aang were both exhausted. I was breathing heavily too, equally exhausted. Katara and Toph both clapped at our training as I walked back over to them. "That's how you win a spar," I joked.

"You forgot one basic rule. Never turn your back on your opponent," Zuko said. A gasp escaped when suddenly I felt his arms wrap around my waist. His foot tripped me up and we both fell back on the ground roughly. He laughed as I struggled in his hold, and I heard the others laugh too.

"Zuko!" I whined. "Let go of me!" I struggled and he tightened his hold still laughing.

"Uh… What's going on?"

Zuko released me when we heard Kale's question. I rolled away from my brother trying to catch my breath. Zuko, Katara, Toph, and Aang were still laughing. Getting to my feet, I brushed dirt off of my clothing, and then walked over to Kale, Sokka, and Suki annoyed. "They're cheaters!"

Aang spoke in Zuko's defense. "We never said the spar was over."

Zuko stood and brushed himself off. He then added, "Sorry. I couldn't resist." He walked over to a fountain in the yard and plopped down on the edge catching his breath.

Kale stepped beside me and brushed some dirt from my hair. "You're cute when you're flustered."

I blushed beat red, crossing my arms and hanging my head a bit. Stubbornly I muttered, "I'm not flustered."

Sokka decided to change the subject, drawing everyone's attention over to him. "Never mind all of that. You guys aren't going to believe what we found in town! There's a play about us!"

Everyone except Zuko gathered around Sokka then, trying to get a closer look at the piece of paper he held in his hand. Upon looking at the paper, I saw it was a poster to advertise the play. On the poster was a drawing of Aang, Sokka, Katara, Kale, and I standing in a line. Behind our drawings was a sketch of Zuko with his scar on the wrong side of his face. At the bottom corner of the poster was an old looking man who I assumed wrote the play.

Katara was completely taken off guard. "What? How is that possible?"

Sokka turned the poster back toward him to read it. "Listen to this. 'The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources including singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage'."

Suki leaned over Sokka's shoulder to read the rest. "'Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players'."

A groan sounded in the group, and we looked over to see Zuko shaking his head in disgust. "My Mother used to take us to see them. They butchered "Love Amongst The Dragons" every year!"

Katara pondered over all of this with uncertainty. "Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?"

Sokka beamed. "Come on, a day at the theatre? This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing!"

We all thought over what Sokka was saying. After a moment, Toph said, "Well it couldn't hurt. It could be a lot of fun!"

Aang added, "Toph's right. We can't pass this up!"

I sighed and walked off back toward the door of the beach house. "I'll go find a cloak."

Later that day we headed through the Fire Nation beach town toward the theater. Zuko and I were wearing black cloaks to hide our faces, worried someone might recognize us. The others weren't too worried about being recognized, although Aang did wear a loose hat on his head to hide his arrow tattoos.

Reaching the theater, Zuko bought us tickets with some money he'd gotten from the beach house. The Fire Lord had a secret money stash somewhere in the building that Zuko knew about. Once the tickets were bought, we followed the crowd of men, women, and children into the large wooden torch lit building. As we headed through the main hall toward the doorway to the seating area, I listened to conversation around us.

A group of teenagers were excitedly jabbering on about the action that they hoped to find in the play. A young couple was talking about how excited they were to see the actors. One little girl exclaimed to her mom, "I can't wait to see Princess Amber! She's my favorite!"

"Seems like everyone's excited about this play," Katara commented.

Kale crossed his arms. "Who wouldn't be? It's a play about a bunch of kids who traveled across the world and back to put an end to a hundred year war. This is a story that will go on for thousands of years to come."

"Always the optimist," I said.

We eventually got inside the theater room and took our seats. We were on a balcony that had a pretty good view of the stage. Three benches were lined on the balcony, and everyone quickly claimed their seats. Toph, Katara, Zuko, and Aang headed toward the front row. Suki, Sokka, Kale, and I found seats on the second row and sat down. Pulling my hood off, I leaned back with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, uh... I wanted to sit there." Looking at the first row I saw Aang pointing at the spot between Zuko and Katara. He wanted to sit by my sister. I smiled a bit with knowing.

Zuko seemed oblivious, pulling his hood off. "Just sit next to me, what's the big deal?"

"I was just... I wanted to... Okay." Aang hung his head in defeat and plopped down beside Zuko in the empty seat, disappointed he couldn't sit by Katara.

"Why are we sitting in the nose bleed section? My feet can't see a thing from up here," Toph whined.

The fire light in the theater started to dim. Katara patted Toph on the back. "Don't worry. I'll tell your feet what's happening."

The play started then, the burgundy curtain rising to reveal a wooden canoe hanging by some strings. The backdrop was a painting of water and icebergs. The prop team had managed to create a machine that made wooden waves move back and forth showing the actors on the canoe were drifting through the water.

Sokka beamed beside Kale, and I saw him lean forward nudging Katara when he saw the actors portraying them on stage.

The woman playing Katara, whose water tribe outfit was showing a lot of cleavage, held her hand to her chest dramatically. "Sokka, my only brother. We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas and yet never do we find anything… fulfilling."

The actor playing Sokka was a little bucktoothed, and had a square chin. He said his line, "All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!"

The crowd below us laughed. I raised my eyebrow in disbelief.

Actress Katara looked over at Actor Sokka. "Is food the only thing on your mind?"

Actor Sokka smirked. "Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth. I'm starving."

My brother Sokka scowled at the horrible play in front of us. "This is pathetic. My jokes are way funnier than this."

Toph said back at him with amusement, "I think he's got you pegged!"

Actress Katara let out a heavy sigh. "Oh if only my sister Kala had come fishing with us. Then she'd understand!" She hung her head in dismay.

My jaw dropped. "What? Did she just say 'Kala'…?" I scowled. "They didn't even get my name right!"

Kale laughed. "Guess this play writer didn't hear right during his interviews."

The actress Katara continued to speak. "Everyday the World awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears. Still, we cannot give up hope." She placed her hands on her chest melodramatically and begins to cry. "For hope is all we have and we must never relinquish it. Even... even to our dying breath." She fell against the side of the canoe and broke into sobs.

Katara was offended. "Well, that's just silly! I don't sound like that." Sokka and Suki were laughing, and I saw Kale cover his mouth to hide his own chuckle.

Toph leaned forward with amusement. "Oh man, this writer's a genius!"

A wooden painted iceberg suddenly started to rise behind the canoe. A cut out of a meditating Aang was swaying back and forth behind the iceberg. Both of the actors dramatically gasped, and the woman playing Katara exclaimed, "It appears to be someone frozen in ice. Perhaps for a hundred years!"

Actor Sokka gasped. "But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?"

The actress Katara took her hand and flung it forward toward the iceberg prop. "Water bend!" A bunch of steam shot up from below stage, and a moment later the iceberg was cracked in half. A young actress jumped out on stage then, her hair covered by a bald cap with an arrow on it. She was wearing clothing similar to Aang's, but it was apparent she was female by her curves and chest. Actress Katara looked surprised. "Who are you frozen boy?!"

The female playing Aang giggled. "I'm the Avatar, silly. Here to spread joy and fun."

We all tried hard to contain our laughter at what we saw on stage. Aang did a double take. "Wait, is that a woman playing me?!"

Kale laughed beside me, and Aang looked back glaring daggers at him.

A puppet of Appa suddenly came out on stage, and the men underneath the puppet ran around the canoe and iceberg. Actress Katara gasped. "An air bender. My heart is so full of hope that it's making me tear bend." She fell on her knees grabbing female Aang's leg and sobbing.

Actor Sokka fell on his knees too and grabbed her other leg. "My stomach is so empty that it's making me tear bend. I need meat!" He started to sob too.

"This is awful," I whined.

Kale was watching with laughter in his eyes. "This is entertaining."

"But wait!" Actress Aang was pointing at something not there. "Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?"

Actor Sokka pretended to be excited. "Where? Where?"

The actress giggled. "Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?"

The real Aang was irritated as he stood gripping the balcony railing hard. "I don't do that. That's not what I'm like! And... I'm not a woman!"

Toph laughed. "Oh they nailed you twinkle toes!"

The scene was changed quickly then, the iceberg prop was removed and the actors on stage quickly left. A wooden ship was carted on stage by wheels, and on the ship was the actor Prince Zuko and another actor playing Uncle Iroh. The actor who had his scar on the wrong side, held a telescope to his eye.

The fat actor on stage held up a cake. "Prince Zuko, you must try this cake."

The actor playing my oldest brother turned toward the man and snapped, "I don't have time to stuff my face. I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!"

"Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice."

"You sicken me!"

Zuko spoke up for the first time all night. "They make me totally stiff and humorless."

Katara glanced over at Zuko. "Actually I think that actors spot on."

Zuko was bewildered. "How could you say that?!"

Actor Iroh spoke again. "Let's forget about the avatar. Your sister Amber would've wanted you to enjoy your journey. Let's get massages!"

Actor Zuko scowled. "How could you say that?!" My brother slumped back in his seat with defeat, pulling his hood more over his head.

The scene changed again. They took away the ship and water, and instead placed wooden igloos on stage. A second later a pretty actress walked out on stage. On her wrist you could see as plain as day a red and blue band. Her hair was black, her skin pale, and she wore a water tribe outfit. Silence fell over the audience as the woman playing me spoke.

Her hands stretched upward, and her eyes looked above at the ceiling. "Oh sun, you are my only comfort in this cold land. I feel so lost… I do not know who I am. They call me Kala here, but I do not feel I belong. As a fire bender, I long to be among my own people. I long to know my past, and how I ended up on such a frozen land. Oh sun, please grant me answers to who I am. I wish to know." She pulled her hands to her chest, hanging her head and letting her hair fall a bit to cover her face.

My eyes widened. "They're making me sound like I hated living at the South Pole."

Kale grabbed my hand to comfort me. "They've gotten a lot of things wrong so far. Don't let it upset you too much."

The crowd below us sniffled as they felt the sadness and confusion of the actress on stage. I had to admit, her acting was very convincing.

The actors Katara, Sokka, and Aang came on stage. "Kala! We've found the Avatar," actress Katara cried. "Our hope is restored!"

Some drums were pounded then, and a moment later actor Prince Zuko came on the stage with two actors who were portraying soldiers. "I have come for the Avatar," he said, pointing a finger at the four actors on stage in front of him. "Tell me where he is!"

The woman playing Aang giggled. "I'm right here silly. My name's Aang, and these are my new friends Katara, Sokka, and Kala."

"I don't care about your friends! You're coming with me!"

The actress playing me rushed forward to stand between them. "Stop! I will not allow you to take the Avatar!" Actor Zuko yanked a fire red ribbon from his pants pocket and shot the ribbon at my character. My character caught the ribbon and threw it back at him. Actor Zuko stepped back looking shocked, the ribbon landing at his feet.

"A fire bender… You are a traitor!" He took a step forward. "I will lock you away!"

"I'm no traitor. I was taken in by the water tribe after I lost my memory. They saved me from the bandits that kidnapped me." She closed her eyes as if pretending she were trying to remember the past.

Bandits… We're they trying to cover up that the Fire Nation had something to do with my disappearance? I assumed so. The thought made me sick though.

"No way!" He grabbed both of her shoulders suddenly. "Amber, my sister! Is it you?!"

The actress playing me stared at him for a moment. She clutched her head as if it were pulsing in pain from a memory. "Wait… I remember now. Zuko! My brother!" The woman threw her arms around Zuko, and he hugged her back. When they pulled apart, you could hear the audience saying 'awe' and sniffling at the sibling reunion.

The play went on. Actor Zuko took actresses Aang and I captive. The two soldier guys on stage were the ones restraining us. Actors Sokka and Katara freed Aang and they ran off stage. My actress was still being held captive by Zuko. She had tried to follow the others when they ran, but Zuko had stopped her. "No my sister! I will not lose you again!"

She turned to him, her hand trying to push against him. "I can't help you… I must help the avatar!"

He grabbed both of her shoulders. "The water tribe has brainwashed you! You are Fire Nation. You must come home!"

"No! I am water tribe!"

The actress playing me shoved Zuko away and took off in the direction her friends had gone. Zuko actor watched her go with agony, reaching out a hand and crying, "Amber! No!"

The curtain fell cutting off the stage briefly. Whispers rose in the audience below us as they waited for the next scene. I hung my head a bit, guilty for ditching Zuko back when I first met him. I'd been so lost and confused those days.

The curtain opened again, and this time the scene was of one of the air temples. In the scene actors Sokka, Katara, and Aang walked across stage looking around with excitement. Actress Aang beamed, "We made it to The Southern Air Temple! My old home!"

The actor Sokka clutched his stomach. "Such a long journey, yet we've found no food."

Actress Katara clutched her chest again. "How can you think of food when our sister is at the hands of the Fire Nation?"

Female Aang tried to cheer them up. "Don't worry guys! I'm sure your sister will be fine!" She then looked at the corner of the stage and gasped. "Hey! What's that?" She pointed over at a bush prop where a tail was sticking out swaying back and forth. Skipping over to it she exclaimed, "Hey look, I think I found something." She reached behind the bush and a second later a puppet of Momo was on her shoulder. "It's a flying rabbit monkey. I think I'll name him, Momo."

The actress then attempted ventriloquism, making the puppet say, "Hi everybody! I love you!"

The audience laughed for some stupid reason. I shook my head in disbelief. Aang groaned in front of me, pulling his hat lower on his head.

The stage changed again, and now the actors were on Kyoshi Island. A woman playing Suki, and the Sokka actor were on stage. They were both wearing green armor dresses. Actor Sokka bent over. "Does this dress make my butt look big?"

Suki who sat on the other side of Sokka laughed. Sokka looked away from her with a blush. A moment later actors Katara, Aang, and Zuko came on stage. A fight started then, a bunch of red, yellow, and blue ribbons being flung back and forth. Eventually my character ran on stage joining the fight. When the fight was over, my actress cried, "We must escape!"

Actor Zuko who was seated on the ground after dramatically falling, cried, "No sister! Don't go with them!"

Actress me stepped back hanging her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just torn between two people right now. I need time to figure things out." She turned and ran off stage, and the others followed her. The curtain closed again and I heard more sniffles in the crowd.

I cringed a bit. "Did I really sound like that?"

Katara looked back at me. "You were just going through a lot at the time. Don't worry about it too much."

The stage continued to change over and over again, going through the many stops we made on our journey. The stage showed a scene of Omashu with King Bumi. The actor playing King Bumi looked as crazy as the real guy. The actors on the stage were running around in a frenzy, running from boulders rolling toward them and stuff.

Actor King Bumi said, "Riddles and challenges must you face, if you are ever to leave this place."

Actress Katara was in a green crystal prop, making loud sighs and gasps like she was dying. My character had a bright spotlight on her and exclaimed, "A strange glow is forming around my body! What does it mean?" The actors ran off stage and the scene changed.

Pulling my cloak hood back over my head, I slouched a bit in my seat.

The next scene that took place was at the port with the pirates. They'd completely skipped over the part where we went to the Fire Sage temple and ran into Zhao. I guess they were trying to leave Zhao out of it as much as they could.

We got to a scene where a bunch of pirates were fighting in a circle, and the four of our actors squeezed through their legs. As the actors snuck off stage while the pirates still fought, I saw a huge water tribe scroll prop in actress Katara's hands.

Actor Sokka whined, "Why did you have to steal that water bending scroll?"

Actress Katara cried, "It just gave me so much hope!"

My own actress cried out as well, "From now on I've decided to be Amber! I will accept who I truly am!"

Actress Aang beamed. "That's the spirit, Amber!"

The four actors rushed off stage, and the scene changed once more. I groaned and pressed a hand to my temple, getting annoyed by the awful play we were seeing.

This time the stage was made into a sort of prison like chamber. I assumed this scene was to show when Zhao had captured me back at the Fire Nation fortress. To my utter shock though, the character that was chained up was Aang. The actress playing Aang cried out, "I must get back to my friends!" She struggled in her binds.

I was on my feet, my eyes wide and my fists clenched. "Why are they changing the story? I was the one captured that day!"

Kale grabbed me and forced me to sit back down. "Calm down… Obviously the writer didn't get half of his facts straight."

Aang looked back at me with a weak smile. "At least _we_ really know what happened that night."

I crossed my arms in defeat and looked back at the stage. My insides boiled though. It was like this writer didn't want anyone to know how harshly the Fire Nation had treated me.

Actor Zuko stood on stage, pointing at the actress Avatar who was in her binds still. "The Avatar is mine!" He then gasped and looked off stage. "Wait, who's coming?"

A man with a giant blue mask came on stage then, and the mask was similar to the one Zuko had worn that night as the blue spirit. "I am the Blue Spirit. The scourge of the Fire Nation here to save the Avatar." The blue spirit fought the actor Zuko and his soldiers. Actor Zuko ran off stage and his men fell on the stage playing dead.

Actress Aang somehow got out of her binds then and exclaimed, "My hero!" She jumped from the platform she'd been standing on and landed on the mask of the blue spirit. They both left the stage, though the blue spirit dude seemed to struggle a bit from the new weight on his head.

"Wow," Zuko said. "I guess Zhao never told anyone I was the blue spirit then."

"He obviously hadn't told anyone about capturing and torturing Amber either," Aang muttered.

The scene changed again. This time the backdrop had some woods and a small painted village. A rope was in the middle of the stage, and at the rope stood actress Katara, and an actor playing Jet. They were hanging in the air, standing on a wooden platform attached to the rope. My actress stood in the corner, chained up to a pole.

Actress Katara was crying like always, and Jet pulled her close to him. "Don't cry, baby. Jet will wipe out that nasty town and Fire Nation sister for you!"

A blue cloth started to be pulled on stage being moved in a motion to make waves. Actor Sokka ran on stage before the blue cloth could reach my character who was still struggling against the pole.

Actor Sokka released my character from the binds. "I've come to save you sister!"

"Sokka! Boy am I glad to see you!"

Both of the actors hugged and then ran off stage. Actress Katara was still hugging actor Jet and looking all lovey-dovey. She cried, "Oh Jet, you're so bad!"

Toph giggled beside Katara, and I saw Sokka smirk a little too. Katara lowered in her seat embarrassed.

The scene changed again, and the actors were on a giant cardboard cutout of Appa. The actress Aang exclaimed, "Look, it's The Great Divide. The biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom!" Both actress Katara and actor Sokka looked down at what the girl avatar was pointing at. My character looked up at the ceiling as if she were bored.

Actor Sokka shrugged. "Meh. Let's keep flying."

The audience laughed around us, while the rest of us weren't amused.

The scene changed once more, and this time it was a Fire Nation village. Actress me walked on stage wearing a black cloak and looking around with boredom. Her hood was also drawn to hide her face. She walked up to a wooden stall placed at the corner of the stage. An old man stood at the counter.

She politely spoke. "Hello, sir. I wish to buy some tea."

The shop keeper looked her up and down. "What's a mysterious girl like you doing here when there's a festival you could be attending?"

My actress sighed. "I'm not much of a festival girl."

A male voice rang up behind the shop keeper. "Giro! Stop flirting with the customers." A young male actor came on stage then, and I saw Kale lean forward a bit excited to finally be in the play. The young male actor playing Kale was good looking on stage, very tall, and very lean. A few of the younger girls in the audience below us squealed at the cute actor.

"Hello," the actor said. "My name's Kale. Can I get you anything miss?"

My actress took her hood off, her eyes staring at the actor in front of her with amazement. "Do I know you? There's something about you that seems so familiar to me."

The actor playing Kale gasped, stepping forward and cupping her cheek. "Amber, my long lost childhood friend, is it you?"

The actress playing me gasped too. "I remember now. Kale! My best friend before I was cruelly taken away by those bandits… Oh Kale, I'm so glad to have found you again." Both the actor and the actress kissed on stage then, and the audience all sniffled and made 'aww' sounds.

Sokka looked over at Kale and I going all brother mode. "You two kissed when you first met?!"

Quickly I defended the both of us, my cheeks burning red. "Of course not! Our first kiss wasn't until the North Pole."

Zuko turned in his seat so he could see us clearly. "Like that makes it any better."

Kale was blushing beat red, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed. I spoke up again, "You two shut it. You kiss girls all the time." Suki giggled beside Sokka knowing it was true. Sokka, and Zuko blushed too and turned away focusing back on the stage.

"You must join us," my actress said to actor Kale.

"Of course I will join you," actor Kale said. "I've waited nine years to see you again, and I'm not ready to wait nine more."

The actress stepped closer to the actor. "Even if it means betraying your nation?"

Actor Kale pulled her close to him. "I'd do anything for you."

The audience all sniffled and made 'aww' noises again. The curtain closed as they prepared for the last scene in act one. I sighed leaning back against Kale who wrapped an arm around my shoulders. His warmth felt nice as the play continued.

The curtain opened again and this time the backdrop was of the Northern Water Tribe. The play went on to show us arriving at the Southern Water Tribe, Aang training with a man portraying master Pakku, and Sokka meeting Princess Yue. At one scene they brought out a wooden white bridge and hooked a rope on actress Princess Yue's back. Her and actor Sokka stood on the bridge having a heart to heart.

"Don't go, Yue. You're the only woman who's ever taken my mind off of food." They both kissed. I looked over at Sokka who was watching the scene with tears in his eyes. I could tell he really missed Yue, even if he was with Suki. The actor Sokka suddenly gagged. "Wait, did you have pickled fish for dinner?"

The rope on actress Yue started to pull her off the bridge into the air. "Goodbye, Sokka. I have important Moon duties to take care of." A crescent moon prop was lowered into the scene and actress Yue sat on it. The moon started to rise with actress Yue holding onto it so she wouldn't fall. "And yes, I did have pickled fish."

Suki was amused saying to Sokka, "You never told me you made out with the moon spirit."

Sokka waved her off. "Shh… I'm trying to watch." He wiped his eyes still having tears in them.

The rest of the scene went on to show actress Aang wearing a giant blue water monster costume. She destroyed toy ships that were pulled across the stage, winning the battle at the North Pole. She tripped on her costume and fell over, and the curtain closed quickly so no one would see. The audience clapped at the play as intermission began.

"I need a break," I muttered, getting up from my seat. Everyone else decided to follow me. We headed out into the hall which already had people from the audience wandering around in it. We made our way out of the theater for some fresh air. Zuko sighed, plopping down on some steps as annoyed as the rest of us were from the play. None of us smiled at all by what we had just seen.

Zuko spoke up after silence fell between us. "So far, this intermission is the best part of the play."

"Agree with you there," I muttered.

Sokka scowled and plopped down on the step beside Zuko. "Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot," he held a bag of food in his hands and pulled out a piece of meat, "who tells bad jokes about meat all the time." He took a bite of the meat strip and I saw Kale smirk at his actions.

"Well they got the meat part close," Kale muttered.

Suki added, "No. I'd say you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics."

Sokka held his hands up oblivious to Suki's insult. "I know!"

Aang whined sitting on a step lower than Sokka, "At least this Sokka actor kinda looks like you. That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!"

Toph giggled. "I don't know, you are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys."

Aang stood looking irritated. He made a noise that sounded like a grunt. Katara stood and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Aang. They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time." She noticed everyone was staring at her with disbelief. She looked skeptical. "What?"

Aang sighed, sitting back down. "Yeah. That's not you at all."

Toph shrugged. "Listen, friends. It's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth."

I scowled. "The truth?! I wasn't taken when I was younger by bandits! They're covering up the truth!"

"Well what do you expect?" Toph sounded serious. "They don't want to admit that the Fire Nation was what really tore you from your family. They want the people in this audience to support the Fire Lord, not hate him."

I hung my head knowing she was right. We returned to the theater a few minutes later and retook our seats. Zuko had brought in a parchment to read, not really amused by the play anymore. The others didn't look too amused as well. Slouching a bit in my seat, I muttered, "Maybe Act 2 will be better."

"Doubt it," Sokka muttered.

The play started again and I crossed my arms not looking forward to what was to come. The curtain opened and the backdrop this time was the Earth Kingdom. The actors playing myself, Kale, Sokka, Aang, and Katara ran on stage.

Actress Katara exclaimed, "Well, here we are in the Earth Kingdom."

"What a relief," the woman playing me exclaimed. She was holding hands with the man playing Kale, acting as if they were inseparable.

Actress Aang whipped out her glider prop. A rope was attached to her back. "I better have a look around to see if I can find an earth bending teacher." The rope flew her around the stage and off. She was back a moment later.

Toph leaned forward with excitement. "This is it! This must be where I come in."

Actress Aang spoke again. "I flew all over town but I couldn't find a single earth bending master." The actors on the stage looked horrified, and actress Amber turned sobbing dramatically into actor Kale's shoulder.

I groaned and pulled my hood tighter over my head hiding my embarrassment. Kale chuckled slightly at my reaction.

"Here it comes," Toph suddenly exclaimed, excited to finally join the play.

A large rock prop on stage was suddenly lifted as a really buff man rose from a trapdoor. He held the rock prop in his hands above his head. "You can't find an earth bending master in the sky, you have to look underground!" The man playing Toph wore the outfit she usually wore, and had a green headband on his wig. He threw the rock to the side of the stage.

We all broke into laughter at what we were seeing. Zuko dropped his parchment in shock at the man playing Toph.

Actress Aang asked, "Who are you?"

The male Toph beamed and flexed his muscles. "My name is Toph because it sounds like tough. And that's just what I am."

Toph was baffled. "Wait a minute, I sound like... a guy. A really buff guy."

Katara seemed satisfied with this. "Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?"

Toph was beaming from ear to ear, and I could tell because of the tone of her voice. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have cast it any other way. At least it's not a flying bald lady!"

Aang scowled. Kale pressed a hand to his mouth trying to muffle a laugh. Aang looked back glaring at Kale again, who quickly looked away still laughing silently. I smiled a bit glad Kale was enjoying this so much, all though I was really annoyed with the character playing me.

"So, you're blind?"

My attention went back on stage as actress Aang waved a hand in front of the man's face.

Actor Toph spoke in his deep voice. "I can see you doing that. I see everything that you see except that I don't see like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth."

Oh no. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next. My hands immediately shot to my ears just as actor Toph turned on the other actors and let out a deep scream. The others around me winced at the sudden noise bellowing through the theater room. When the scream cut off, I dropped my hands from ears and stared at the stage in shock.

"There. I got a pretty good look at you," actor Toph said.

My actress exclaimed, "That's so cool!"

The scene changed again, and a wooden bridge was pulled on stage. Actor Zuko and actor Iroh stood on the bridge. Actor Zuko's hair was down from its original topknot and looked messy.

Actor Iroh spoke, pointing at actor Zuko. "Zuko, it's time we had a talk… About your hair. It's gone too far."

It was my turn to laugh, and I quickly muffled it when Zuko turned back to glare at me. I looked away trying to hide my amusement.

Actor Zuko spoke, drawing my attention back to the stage. "Maybe it's best if we," he turned his head sharply, "split up." The two actors walked away from one another back off stage.

The scene changed again and this time a desert backdrop was hanging. There was a door visible on the wall behind where an actress playing Azula stood. Azula was played by a woman who looked in her thirties, way too old for a teenage Fire Nation princess.

The other actors ran on stage and cornered Azula. Actor Zuko exclaimed, "Azula! My sister. What are you doing here?"

The woman playing Azula held up her hands in defeat. "You caught me."

My actress stepped forward. "Azula… I finally see you again after nine years!"

The actress playing Azula looked over at my character with shock. "Amber… Is it truly my long lost sister?"

"Yes! Oh Azula, how I've longed to see you again," my actress cried.

Actress Azula hung her head. "I'm sorry sister. You are fraternizing with the enemy. We can't speak to one another like this." She turned and ran through the door behind her, shutting it on her way off stage. When she disappeared from stage the actors looked at one another pretending to be amazed.

"She escaped," actress Aang said. "But how?"

The scene changed once more, the actors all running off stage. Actors Kale, Zuko, Iroh, and Amber ran off one side of the stage, while the others ran off the other side. I assumed that was to show when Kale and I split from the group to go travel with Iroh and Zuko for a while.

A giant wall prop was suddenly carted on stage, and attached to the wall was a large wooden cutout of a giant drill. The drill was painted black with the fire nation insignia on it. The front of the drill spun which I admit was a pretty neat effect.

Actress Azula stood on top of the drill, exclaiming, "Haha, yes! Continue drilling. The city of Ba Sing Sei can't hide no longer."

Actress Aang appeared on stage then, shouting, "I will stop you." She started to throw rock props at actress Azula who hit the ones away that came right at her. Eventually she let one of the rocks hit her and she dropped behind the drill shouting, "No!" I assumed that was the writer's way of showing Azula had lost her quest to drill through the wall.

The scenes changed again. In one scene actors Zuko, Iroh, Kale, and I worked at a tea shop. Actor Zuko whined about his honor, while actors Kale and Amber decided they needed to find the Avatar who was in Ba Sing Sei. Another scene came showing actors Amber and Kale wearing armor and sneaking past some Dai Li agents. They managed to reach their friends across the stage who hugged them with delight.

Eventually the play got to the part where we were at Lake Laogai. The backdrop was dark and prison like with a cell door. The actors portraying us, and the actor playing Jet stood together on stage. Jet looked all crazed eyes and had hooks for hands. He waved his hooks around frantically at both the actors on stage with him.

Actress Aang cried, "No, Jet! What did they do to you?"

Actor Jet continued to wave his hands around frantically. "Must. Serve. Earth King!" He turned and swung his hook at actor Sokka who ducked. "Must... Destroy!"

"No Jet," my actress cried, covering her mouth in horror. Actor Jet went all crazy on stage then, clutching his hair and looking like he'd lost his mind. A lightweight rock prop was lowered on stage and landed above Jet hiding him from the stage. The crazy noise he'd been making had stopped.

Tears clouded in my eyes and I felt sick to my stomach. It was bad enough seeing Jet die one time, but a second time… Shivers went up and down my spine.

Zuko's confused voice spoke up suddenly. "Did Jet… just die…?"

I hung my head pulling my knees to my chest. Kale answered for me. "Yeah… Though that's not really how he died."

The scenes changed again. In one of the scenes the group of actors reunited with the giant puppet Appa. In another scene the actors were talking to some dude playing the Earth King. In another scene my character was facing Azula and got imprisoned. A scene came up then of the crystal catacombs. Actress Katara and actor Zuko were on the stage alone.

Actor Zuko was plopped on a crystal looking rock while actress Katara was looking all flirty. "I have to admit, Prince Zuko. I really find you attractive." She walked seductively around the pouting actor on stage. My jaw dropped in shock.

He snapped at her, "You don't have to make fun of me."

Actress Katara placed a hand on his shoulder. "But I mean it." She sat down beside the actor. In the front row I could see Katara and Zuko were scooting as far as they could from each other. This scene was ridiculous. My sister didn't have feelings for Zuko. At least I was pretty sure she didn't. A few days ago she had wanted to kill him. "I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me."

Kale whispered beside me, "I think Aang's getting heated by this scene." Looking over at Aang I saw his fists were clenched from jealousy.

"Wait." Actor Zuko stood crossing his arms. "I thought you were the Avatar's girl."

Actress Katara giggled and stood walking over to actor Zuko like he were prey. "The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me." She giggled again. "I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. Besides, how could he ever find out about this." Her and the actor playing Zuko clasped hands as if they were in love.

Zuko pulled his hood tighter over his head and Katara covered her face with embarrassment. Aang stood and started to stomp away.

Sokka noticed Aang had gotten up. "Oh, you're getting up? Can you get me some fire flakes?" He laid his arm across Suki's shoulder and she rested against him. He pulled away quickly though saying, "Oh and fire gummies."

Aang started to stomp past me. Quickly I went to stand and stop him. "Aang, wai-"

He cut me off. "I'm going to take a walk." The hurt and pain in his voice took me off guard.

He stomped away and I went to follow. Kale stopped me, saying, "Just let him cool off. He'll be okay."

With a heavy sigh, I sat back down beside Kale. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me closer beside him. I rested my head on his shoulder as the play before us continued.

The actors playing myself, Kale, Aang, and Uncle Iroh came on stage reuniting with actors Zuko and Katara. As the actors embraced one another with relief, actress Azula came on stage.

"You all run ahead," the actor playing Iroh ordered. "I must speak with my nephew alone."

The actors ran off stage, and actors Azula, Iroh, and Zuko were left.

"Well, my brother. What's it going to be? Your nation or a life of treachery? Our sister had no choice, but you do." As the actress Azula spoke actor Zuko looked utterly confused and uncertain.

Actor Iroh beamed. "Choose treachery. It's more fun!" The man playing Zuko stepped over to actor Iroh and actress Azula cried out in shock. However actor Zuko was not betraying his nation. Instead he shoved the man playing Iroh who dramatically fell to the ground.

Actor Zuko snapped, "I hate you, Uncle. You smell and I hate you for all time."

My eyes widened. Had Zuko said that to Iroh really?

Katara voiced my question. "You didn't really say that, did you?"

Zuko hung his head in shame. "I might as well have…"

The scene changed once more, and this time the backdrop was sort of a palace like image. A bear costume was on stage, and a young boy portraying the Earth King sat on his lap. It seemed like the only real thing on the bear was the actors head which was poking out of the place the head should be. Actresses playing Ty Lee and Mai stood on the stage fighting off Earth Kingdom guards. The one playing Ty Lee was much heavier set than the real Ty Lee. The actress playing Mai didn't really show any difference than the real person.

Actress Aang suddenly appeared out of nowhere and went into the avatar state. To indicate this she shouted to the audience, "Avatar State, yip yip!" She started to be lifted from the stage by a rope. The lights dimmed around us and somehow the fake tattoos on the actress head started to glow.

Actress Azula was on stage suddenly, appearing out of some smoke that started to rise on stage. She whipped out some blue ribbon to display the lightning she was about to strike toward actress Aang. "Not if my lightning can't help it!"

As she shot her lightning forward, the actress playing myself ran on stage jumping in the way. The actress caught the lightening in her hands placing it to her chest. She cried out in pain as she collapsed on the floor clutching her chest. While this happened actress Azula had thrown another blue ribbon at actress Aang shooting her out of the air. Actress Aang dropped to the stage as well.

Actor Kale ran on stage then, rushing to the woman playing me. He pulled her up into his arms, crying out, "Oh Amber… My beautiful sweet Amber. Don't die! Please don't die!"

The actress playing me slowly lifted her hand to actor Kale's cheek. "Oh Kale, my one and only love, don't cry for me. I did what I had to. It was my duty to risk my life for the Avatar." Her voice started to fade. "I love you so much…" She slumped in the actor's arms pretending to die. The actor carried her off stage. Actress Aang still lied on the stage dead.

My eyes were wide as I had just watched a reenactment of my death.

Actress Azula cried out in fake horror, "My sister is dead. I have killed her!" She then narrowed her eyes and spoke straight to the audience. "It is not my fault though. The Water Tribe brainwashed her. Her death is not on my hands but on those who kept her from the Fire Nation. It's truly a shame my little sister was corrupted by the enemy. If only I had gotten to her sooner, and saved her from the monsters keeping her from her true family." Actress Azula wiped her eyes as if brushing tears that weren't there. When she composed herself, she spoke again with a strong voice. "No matter…" She stepped in front of actress Aang, joined only a second later by Ty Lee and Mai. "The Avatar is no more!"

I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't take it anymore. Before the people even called intermission I stood from my bench and left. Getting out into the hallway, I yanked my hood over my head and leaned against the wooden wall trying to breathe. My stomach was twisting in knots still as my memory of the lightning shooting through my heart kept replaying in my mind.

A warm hand pressed against my cheek. "Hey… You okay?"

Jumping a bit startled, I saw Kale looking at me with worry. I hung my head again. "Yeah… I just didn't like that scene very well."

He hugged me to him then, and I relaxed in his hold hugging him back. "Yeah… I also hated that scene. Too many painful memories of that day…"

The others came out into the hall two minutes later, and I'd managed to compose myself. Sokka, Suki, and Toph slumped against the wall annoyed, while Zuko sat on the floor.

Suki smiled a bit. "It seems like every time there's a big battle you guys barely make it out alive. I mean, you guys lose a lot."

Sokka pointed at her. "You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive? That's right, she did."

Suki frowned narrowing her eyes at Sokka. "Are you trying to get on my bad side?"

He held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying."

Katara suddenly entered the hall, her eyes worried. "Does anyone know where Aang is?"

Sokka slumped against the wall crossing his arms. "He left to get me fire gummies like, 10 minutes ago. And I'm still waiting."

I added, "He seemed upset about something." Katara sighed and went off to look for him.

"If you're that desperate for the food I'll go buy you some. I need to stretch out these legs anyway," Kale suddenly said. Sokka beamed at this and reached in his pocket pulling out some money. When Kale had the money in his hand he looked over at me wanting to know if I wanted to come. I followed him deciding maybe a walk would clear my head.

We walked down the hall together hand in hand. My ears tuned in to different conversations of the Fire Nation people as we passed. Most of the conversations were about my death and the Avatar's. My hood was still drawn so no one would recognize me, which was okay because my expression wasn't happy.

Eventually we arrived at the concession stand and Kale went in line. While he did that I walked over and leaned against the wall once more listening to the conversations around me. The line Kale was in was pretty long, so I knew it would be a few minutes.

After a few minutes of standing against the wall, a conversation beside me suddenly came to my attention. An older man and his wife were speaking about the play. The man who looked like a Fire Nation nobleman sniffed. "Well I honestly don't care the Princess is dead. She gave far too much trouble to this nation."

His wife sighed. "She was such a troubled girl. It's a pity the Fire Lord and his children couldn't get through to her. She died saving the enemy. In the end she died a traitor, and the royal family has to live with that."

I scowled, my fists tightening as I crossed my arms. It took all my strength not to snap at the older couple standing beside me.

"It was probably a good thing she was taken by those bandits. From what I hear she wasn't a very honorable child when she once lived in the Fire Nation. Some even say she was a disgrace to the royal line. The little freak was a thorn in her family's side. Thank goodness she's dead."

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't take it anymore. My anger had spiked from all the emotions fluttering inside me. This man had made me reach my boiling point. Turning, I snapped at the man, "You're wrong! The only person who ever thought she was a thorn was the Fire Lord himself! Everyone else loved her!"

The man was astounded by my interruption. His eyes narrowed then. "And how would you know that?"

Going to snap again, I was stopped by a hand grabbing my shoulder. "Raina, what are you doing?" Kale had come to intervene, seeing that me and this older man were about to get into a scuffle. He used my name from back in Ba Sing Sei to protect my true identity. "I've been searching everywhere for you." He then looked at the man and the man's concerned wife. "I'm very sorry for her actions. She can be very troublesome at times. She's a little crazy."

The man sniffed holding his nose up as if he were Fire Lord himself. "Well keep a better leash on her. Next time I might hand her over to the guards."

I went to lunge at the man again but Kale held me back and forced me to turn. He pulled me away from the man and woman, a bag of fire gummies in his other hand. When we were far enough so they wouldn't hear, Kale asked, "What was that about?"

My fists were still tight, but I tried to calm down. Hanging my head suddenly ashamed for losing my temper, I muttered, "I just got mad. He was saying some stuff that heated me up. Sorry."

Kale sighed, taking his hand from my shoulder and running it through his hair. "This play is getting to everyone's head."

Eventually when we got back to the others they were already seated back inside the balcony overlooking the stage. Retaking my seat beside Kale, I crossed my arms trying cool off. Kale handed over the fire gummies to Sokka, who beamed with delight and began to munch on them again. Looking around, something struck me. Everyone was here, except Aang.

Kale voiced my question before I could. "Hey… Where's Aang?"

Sokka shrugged. "Beats me. He's about to miss the play though."

The lights dimmed then and the play started once more. Pulling my hood off, I sighed as my anger started to cease. I knew I needed to calm down. Snapping at everyone would do me no good.

The play went through different scenes then. In one actress Aang awoke from a bed prop after being in a coma. My character was completely gone, seeing as I had died and no one really knew I was alive. The Fire Lord didn't want anyone to know I was alive.

Another scene came of actress Katara being the painted lady. In it she fought off two Fire Nation soldiers and three villagers thanked her. I assumed the play writer had learned about this story from visiting the fishing village.

The next scene that came was of Sokka training and getting his sword from master Piandao. A fake meteor had been dropped on the stage, and actor Sokka had pulled out a sword from behind it. He and the guy playing master Piandao fought on stage, and the scene closed.

The next scene came and this time a man playing combustion man walked on stage. He was shorter and much less thinner than the actual guy, but his acting was pretty convincing on how much he'd wanted the avatar dead. He ended up getting hit by one of actress Aang's blue ribbons and fell back on the stage dead.

Aang returned suddenly, plopping down in the spot beside me. His new seating arrangement took me off guard. I shot him a look of question, but decided not to ask. He looked really upset about something, and I assumed if he needed to talk he would.

The scene on the stage now showed that the invasion was starting. Actors Aang and Katara stood on a submarine prop and looked to be prepared for battle. Actress Katara placed her hand over her heart as she spoke to actress Aang. "I just want to let you know Aang, that I'll always love you… Like a brother."

Actress Aang beamed. "I wouldn't have it any other way!" The shook hands and actress Aang was pulled off the sub by a rope. Aang scowled beside me, and I looked over at him from the corner of my eye. Hurt was etched all across his face; Hurt and disappointment. Finally I started to understand. Aang must've told Katara how he felt, and she turned him down.

Actors Sokka, Kale, and Toph had emerged onto the sub then joining actress Katara. Actor Sokka smirked. "Hey Toph, would you say you and Aang have a rocky relationship?"

The audience laughed, and Sokka beamed beside us. He nudged Kale exclaiming, "I told him to say that!" Kale shoved his arm off, not really amused.

"I hope everyone's ready for The Invasion," actor Sokka spoke again. He thrust his hand forward in a fighting motion. "Slop-A-Pow!" The actors on stage with him were confused, probably because the guy had changed his lines. The audience laughed again, and Sokka made another nudge at Kale in excitement. Kale sighed beside me, shoving Sokka's arm away again.

The scene changed then, and a large throne was pushed to center stage. Actors Sokka, Katara, Kale, and Toph ran on stage. Actress Aang was lowered onto the stage a moment later, her eyes looking at the throne with shock. "We finally made it to the royal palace but no one's home!"

Actor Zuko ran on stage then, pointing a finger at the actors. "Actually, I'm home and I want to join you. I want to make my sister Amber proud!"

The actors had all gotten into attack positions. Actor Sokka was the first to lower his boomerang. "I guess we have no choice. Come on." They all ran off stage and the scene ended again.

Sokka stood, stretching his arms. "I guess that's it. The play's caught up to the present now."

Another actor came on stage though, and Suki quickly grabbed Sokka's shirt tugging him back down. "Wait. The play's not over."

"But it is over," Sokka said slowly. "Unless... This is the future!"

My eyes widened when I saw who stepped onto stage. It was an actor playing the Fire Lord. He looked terrifying standing on stage, although he wasn't as terrifying as the true Fire Lord who I saw in my memories.

A comet was suddenly being swung over the stage above the Fire Lord actor and he said with confidence, "With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!"

Actress Azula suddenly ran on stage and knelt before the man. "Father, Zuko and the Avatar are at the palace. They're trying to stop you." She pointed at the man to indicate she was talking about him.

The actor Fire Lord pointed at actress Azula. "You take care of Zuko. I shall face the Avatar myself."

A puff of smoke rose from the stage then, and the actor playing Ozai vanished from the scene. Actor Zuko ran on stage then and he and actress Azula fought for a good three minutes. Actress Azula got the upper hand, and a blue flame prop rose on the stage in front of Zuko. His silhouette could be seen behind it, and he shouted, "Honor!" He fell to the stage dying then.

My eyes were open wide with horror. All of us looked at Zuko who had gone stiff from his own shock and terror.

The actor playing the Fire Lord came on stage again, and he took his place on the throne. A moment later actress Aang ran on stage. She had a staff in her hand ready to fight.

The actor Fire Lord stood prepared to fight. "So, you have mastered all four elements!"

Actress Aang beamed. "Yeah and now, you're going down." She indicated this by pointing down at the stage.

The Fire Lord dude stood and put on an evil smile. "No, it is you who are going down. You see, you are too late." Actress Aang acted shocked. "The comet is already here and I'm unstoppable." Actress Aang acted terrified then.

The Fire Lord dude and actress Aang broke out into a fight then, red, blue, and yellow streamers being thrown around all over the stage. Eventually it got to the point where a long red cloth was shot around the actress and she was wrapped inside it. It was as if she were being consumed by fire. She fell to the stage then, pretending to die. A gasp escaped me and I covered my mouth in terror. Aang had just died!

Aang's eyes were bugging out of his head beside me, and Kale went stiff with horror.

The Fire Lord dude and Actress Azula were both on stage again, standing in front of the Avatar's dead body. Azula exclaimed to the man, "It is over, Father. We've done it!"

The Fire Lord dude stepped forward and cried out, "Yes, we have done it!" Fake fire suddenly emerged on stage and the Fire Lord was raised on a platform. Fake fire emerged behind him as well as he rose. "The dreams of my Father, and my Father's Father have now been realized." He threw his arms up and a red Fire Nation Banner unfurled behind him. "The World is mine!"

The audience all got to their feet and cheered at the Fire Lord's triumph. We stayed in our seats utterly speechless and horrified by what we had just seen.

When we finally left the theater there was nothing but silence between us. We were all shocked. Zuko and Aang had died in the play! Of course it was a play run by the Fire Nation, so it shouldn't have been that surprising that they killed off Aang and Zuko. Even so, seeing them die on stage made my stomach twist in knots.

The stars were out, and the air was lukewarm, but none of us really paid attention to the nice summer night. We were too busy thinking about everything we had just saw.

"That... wasn't a good play," Zuko muttered, finally breaking the long silence.

"I'll say," Aang muttered.

"No kidding," Katara added.

"Horrible," Suki commented.

Toph sounded sick, "You said it."

Sokka shrugged. "But the effects were decent."

I let out a hard sigh. "Even so, let's never go see a play about ourselves again."

Kale nodded. "Agree with you there."

We finally made it back to the beach house and all of us separated. That night I crawled into the bed I'd been sleeping on and pulled my blanket over my body. The ending to that play was a nightmare. The thought of anyone dying made me want to scream into my pillow.

"_No one will die… You have nothing to fear," _Roku tried to reassure. The bracelet on my wrist was warm as Roku spoke to me.

Roku's words comforted me slightly. Smiling weakly, I felt my body relax as I calmed my nerves a bit. Roku was right. There was no way any of us would let the Fire Lord win. There was no way I'd allow that monster to take control of the world. The ending we just saw was for the Fire Nations entertainment. They would all be disappointed when we showed them the true ending of this war.

At that moment there was no doubt in my mind... We'd win. The Fire Lord would surely fall.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. Sorry it followed a lot of the script, but I tried to place Amber wherever I could. Let me know what you all thought. :)**


	20. Toph's Childish Games

**A/N: So this is just a small chapter I wrote to put a little comedy in the story before we hit all the heavy drama again. This idea was suggested to me by a great fan. Thanks for the idea! I hope you guys enjoy this small humorous snippet. I'll get started on the "Sozins Comet" episodes right away. Thanks for all your reviews and continuous suggestions. You're all great! =)**

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><p>Heading outside the beach house, I crossed my arms enjoying the warm sunlight. The play we attended yesterday was long forgotten. We'd all pushed it off our minds. Although, Aang and Katara seemed a bit distant still, not really talking to one another this morning. Zuko and Aang had run off down to the beach to start some training. Katara, Sokka, and Kale were looking over some new battle plans. I had been with them, but after an hour of listening to Katara snap at Sokka for not thinking straight, I'd had enough.<p>

The fresh air outside was a relief, and I enjoyed the sunrays soaking into my skin. Rounding around the front of the beach house, I made my way toward the back. The back of the beach house had another fountain similar to the one in front. It was circular and in the center was a stone statue of Fire Lord Sozin. Water spouted from the statues hands which were outstretched with the palms facing up. There was a treeline beyond the fountain that led into the forest of the island. The trees that surrounded us helped us hide from the enemy.

Plopping down on the edge of the fountain, I sighed and put my bare feet into the cool water. It was quiet, a nice breeze was blowing, the birds were flying around me. Nothing could've ruined this moment.

"Hey Princess! There you are!"

Spoke too soon...

I cringed when I heard Toph's voice break through my peace. Looking behind me, I saw her and Suki approach. Toph had a look on her face that made me uneasy. Suki looked kind of guilty. Twisting my body around, I fully faced them crossing my arms. My feet brushed on the soft grass.

"What is it this time, Toph?"

Over the last few months I'd had the pleasure of knowing Toph, she enjoyed getting me into trouble. There was one time she convinced me to pull a prank on Katara. She blackmailed me by threatening to tell Sokka how Kale and I snuck off one night to go look at the stars. She knew we kissed that night after following us, and I refused to let Sokka find out. He'd never leave Kale and I alone again. So I slipped some berries into Katara's soup one day that turned her tongue blue. She quickly found out it was me and froze me for a good three minutes.

There was no way I was doing another prank.

Toph held something behind her back, and I narrowed my eyes suspicious. "Suki and I are really bored, and we wondered if maybe you'd have a burping contest with us?"

Immediately I scoffed. "A what? There's no way I'm doing that!" Looking over at Suki, I snapped, "Why would you want to do that?"

Suki smirked. "I'm not as girly as I look, Amber."

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry. I don't do stuff like that. Unlike you all I have manners." Standing from the my fountain perch, I started to walk away.

"Sounds like your just scared you'll lose," Toph teased.

Waving back at her, I didn't stop as I continued to walk away. "No. I just don't want to act like an idiot. You two have fun."

The earth in front of me shot up suddenly and I walked flat into a wall. Stumbling back, my body vibrated with pain and I rubbed my forehead which had met the slab of earth. "Ouch! Toph!" Turning on my heel, I narrowed my eyes at her. Suki was covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Sorry, Princess. I'm not letting you out of this one. It's time you loosened up and had fun for a change."

"I have plenty of fun," I snapped at Toph. "I don't need to loosen up!"

"Say's the chick whose about to fry someone," Suki muttered.

My fists were steaming, and quickly I calmed letting the fire inside me calm too. Turning on my heel again, I stomped away. "I don't have time for this."

"Fine," Toph began. I froze mid-step. Turning, I looked over at her not liking the sound of her voice. She held something out in front of her, and my jaw dropped. It was my water tribe bracelet. She dangled it in her hand. "If you don't then I'll just keep this as my own."

"How did you get that?!"

She smirked. "Easy… Suki snuck into your room and grabbed it during breakfast."

"Suki!"

Suki hung her head again. "You just seemed down since the play yesterday. Toph and I wanted you to cheer up."

"So to cheer me up you blackmail me?!"

Suki smiled weakly. "Uh… Yeah…"

"Alright Princess, here's the deal. We have one round, meaning each of us goes once, and if you win you get your bracelet back," Toph said, twirling it in her fingers to wave it mockingly in my face.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I asked, "And if I lose?"

Toph beamed. "You have to play another prank on Katara to get it back."

I cringed, not liking the idea of being frozen again in an ice cube. "Fine," I said, staring at the ground annoyed. "But if I do win then I get my bracelet back and you leave me the heck alone!" Quickly I added in, "Forever!"

"Deal," Toph said, placing my bracelet in her pocket. "But were going to need a judge."

My eyes widened. "A judge! No! I don't want a witness to this!" My cheeks burned red.

"A witness to what?"

My body froze when I heard my brother Sokka come to the back yard. He looked like he'd left to get some fresh air too. Plopping down on the fountain, he crossed his arms looking at the scene before him with question.

Toph walked over to me placing an arm around my shoulder. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment. "We're going to have a burping contest!"

Sokka's jaw dropped. He pointed at me. "Amber's doing this too?" I hung my head, while Suki nodded to answer. Sokka broke into laughter and I covered my face. All of this because Toph was a jerk who enjoyed blackmail.

"Alright," Sokka began, wiping his eyes after he finally stopped laughing. "I'll be your judge."

Toph stated that she would go first, then Suki would go, and finally me. We stood in a semi-circle near Sokka, who watched us all amused. He was seated on the fountain cross-legged, and I saw he was trying hard not to burst into laughter again.

Toph smirked then. "You're all going down!" She breathed in and then let out a loud burp. I cringed as the sound echoed across the back yard. This stupid contest was sure to attract unwanted attention. Unwanted attention meaning Kale and the others. If they saw this I'd never be able to show my face again.

Toph held her loud burp for a few seconds, and then stopped. "Beat that!"

Suki smirked. "I'm an elite warrior. I can beat anything."

Sokka suddenly cheered. "Yeah! Go Suki!"

I scowled at him. "Is this judge going to be fair?"

Sokka held his hands up in defense. "Sorry… I'll judge you all fairly. Promise."

I sighed. I was going to lose this. Sokka would surely hand the win over to his lover Suki. My blood drained at the horror of whatever prank Toph planned on making me do to Katara. I had to win this, because I didn't want Katara to kill me.

Suki took in a deep breath suddenly, and she let out her own burp. To my utter shock and surprise, her burp was weak. Much weaker than Toph's. She gasped when she realized this too. I almost sighed with relief. That meant I only had to beat one person.

Toph burst into laughter. "Elite warrior? You sounded like a baby polardog!"

Suki scowled. "I wasn't ready. I'll just do it again."

I decided to stop her, a smirk now on my own face. "Sorry. Rules are rules. You only get to go once."

"Yeah… Sorry Suki. Toph's beat you," Sokka said. Suki huffed in disappointment and walked over to Sokka plopping down beside him. He patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

Everyone looked over at me then. My cheeks turned red once more. "Come on Princess. It's your turn," Toph said, a smirk on her face again. "There's no way you'll beat me though. You're too girly!"

Sighing heavily, I pushed Toph's voice aside and thought about my bracelet. There was no way I would let Toph keep my bracelet. I was suddenly determined to win. As long as Kale never found out about this, then it would all be okay. "Alright… Here goes nothing."

Taking in a deep breath, I shut my eyes and concentrated hard.

A loud burp escaped me then, echoing through the air. Even though the noise was ringing through my ears, I honestly wasn't sure if it was louder and longer than Toph's. When I finally stopped, I quickly looked down utterly ashamed and covered my face. I whined, "This is so embarrassing!" My ears were red as my heart pounded fast.

Silence fell over everyone and I wondered what they were all thinking. Looking up from my hands, I saw they were all staring at me with wide eyes. Sokka even looked surprised. I backed up a bit. "What?"

Toph scowled, pulling my bracelet out of her pocket. "Alright, Princess. You win," she stepped over and held the bracelet toward me.

Reaching for the bracelet slowly, I was beyond surprised. "I… win?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

Suki added, "I never imagined you had it in you Amber!"

A burst of laughter broke out behind us suddenly, and we all turned our heads to see the intruder. Kale stood a little ways from us, hunched over clutching his stomach as he laughed hard. My eyes almost bugged out of my head when I saw him. Kale had heard me! His laughter caused Sokka to laugh too. Soon Toph and Suki were laughing as well.

Quickly, I snatched my bracelet from Toph who was grinning from ear to ear. "You're a natural, Amber! I take back everything I said about you." She burst out laughing again.

"Hey! Stop laughing!" Looking over at my boyfriend, I whined, "Kale! Stop laughing!" He only laughed harder.

"What's going on?"

Now my face was on fire. Turning, I saw Katara had arrived to the backyard, having heard the commotion. Sokka stopped laughing, and walked over to me pulling me into a headlock. "Our sister just won a burping contest. Amber's secretly one of the guys!"

"Sokka!" Trying to push him off of me, I still heard Kale's laughs from somewhere nearby. Sokka let me go and I stumbled forward.

Katara raised a brow at me. "Really… Amber won?" She sounded like she found it hard to believe.

Toph answered, "You should've heard it! I honestly thought she'd be worse than Suki, but man was I wrong. Princess has some guts after all!"

Sokka clamped his hand on my shoulder in approval. "Maybe warrior training did have some influence on her!"

Sighing, I shoved his hand off and rubbed the back of neck trying to calm my pulsing heart. What did it matter now? They all knew… There was no point in pretending it didn't happen. Lifting my head, I was suddenly surprised when I saw Kale had walked over to me. He had finally stopped laughing, but he was smiling like crazy.

"Kale… I swear this was just to get my bracelet back!" I defended. His smile didn't waver. "Toph made me do it!"

"Well I'm glad she did," Kale suddenly said. He took me off guard. "You were awesome! What are you so upset about? You won!"

My jaw dropped. "You're not disgusted?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. You worry too much."

Relief suddenly swept through me. A smile spread on my face as I confidently turned to Toph who was still impressed by my victory. "Alright Toph, remember our deal! No more messing with me from now on!"

Toph shrugged. "Alright… I can live with that." I sighed, so glad to have her childish games out of my life finally. A mischievous smile came across her face. "I'll inform Zuko and Aang now about the results of the competition. They'll want to know _all_ about this." She turned and took off in a full sprint.

What? Inform Zuko and Aang…

My eyes widened. "Toph! Wait!" I took off in my own full sprint after her, and behind me all I could hear was laughter once more from the others. "Get back here you brat!"

Toph laughed in front of me. "Watch out Princess! Don't want you to break a nail!"

Another wall of earth flew up in my path and I ran smack dab into it once again. My body stumbled back and I fell on my butt, wincing from the pain. Recovering, I stood once more and shouted after the retreating girl, "Toph! I'm going to kill you!"

She just laughed and kept running.

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><p><strong>AN: So that was my small comical chapter. It's the first time I've ever tried humor, so I hope you guys found it entertaining. I'll have the first episode of Sozin's Comet done as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!- Faithy Waithy**


	21. Team Avatar

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thank you all so much for your patience. I was feeling a little under the weather these last few days so I didn't type as quickly as I wanted to. Feel much better though, and was finally able to finish. Enjoy 'Sozins Comet: Part 1'.**

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><p>Lying back in the grass, I stared up at the sky trying not to think about what would come in three days. I was failing miserably. Sozin's comet was due to pass through the sky soon, and it would give unbelievable power to every fire bender out there. My body cringed at the thought of the comet giving the Fire Lord such power. There was no telling what that man had planned for when the day came.<p>

Footsteps suddenly sounded, and I looked over to see Zuko approach me. He had his arms crossed and he looked irritated about something. He went to ask me something, but then a puzzled look came on his face. He probably wondered why I was lying in the grass. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," I responded, looking back at the clouds above.

He stepped over to me and I saw his face come into my view. "About what?"

"The comet and stuff… I'm just a little anxious." Sitting up, I pulled my legs together cross legged and picked at the grass nonchalantly. "The fate of the world rests in our hands you know… It's just a lot to think about."

Zuko sighed, plopping down on the grass beside me. He ran a hand through his messy black hair saying, "Yeah… I know what you mean." He took a moment and spoke again. "Aang doesn't seem at all focused on the battle in a few days. I keep trying to get him to train and he keeps running off."

"He did the same thing when we first arrived at the Western Air Temple. He's avoiding you, probably because he's scared to think about what's to come."

"Well he needs to kick his butt in gear," Zuko muttered. "If not that kid isn't going to be ready in a few days. He's good, but he still has a lot he needs to learn."

Running a hand through my hair, I thought back on everything we've been through in the past. "I feel bad for him. He's been through more than any of us could ever imagine. He wakes up after a hundred years frozen in a block of ice to find out he's the last of his kind. He had to learn how to bend three elements in less than a year, which is something other avatars take years to do. I can only imagine what's going on in Aang's head right now. I feel like sometimes we forget he's only twelve."

"I probably didn't make it any easier, chasing him around back in the past," Zuko said, picking at the grass like I'd been doing. "I can't imagine what might've happened if I had managed to capture him and bring him to father. Dad would've killed him on the spot..."

"Yeah," I said, a small smile on my face. "Thank goodness you were lousy at your job."

Zuko rolled his eyes at me and shoved me over playfully. I landed on my side laughing. He stood over me then, crossing his arms and looking down. "I'd be careful insulting me. I'm not the one who has the title 'Burp Queen' now."

I scowled, my cheeks turning red at the memory of the competition yesterday. "Who came up with that stupid name?"

He smirked. "Who do you think?"

Immediately I knew who. "I'll kill her," I muttered. Getting to my feet, I brushed off my dark red trousers.

"You and Toph seem to be good friends," Zuko commented.

Shrugging, I said, "She's like an annoying little sister. She likes to mess with me a lot. I ignore her as much as I can."

He took this in. "They're all family to you, huh?" He hung his head. "I envy the family you have."

Looking at him with surprise, I saw he looked a little jealous of the bond we'd all formed. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I reassured him, "You're a part of it now Zuko. They're your family too." He went to argue, but I continued, "A family isn't defined by blood. Family is defined by those you love and would lay down your life for."

Zuko sighed. "They'll never feel that way about me."

"You're way too hard on yourself." Looking up at the clouds again, I smiled at the beautiful day. "They tease you. They laugh with you. They enjoy your company. If anything happened to you they would all be sad. They care about you as much as I do. Hopefully one day you'll see that with your own eyes."

Turning, I left my brother Zuko standing in the yard. His eyes watched me go with surprise. Just as I rounded the corner of the beach house, I swore I could see a small smile on Zuko's face.

Eventually I got back to the beach house and searched for the one person I wanted to find. Walking down a few halls, I ran into Aang who was wandering through the house. "Hey, Aang. Have you seen Toph?"

He must've heard the irritation in my voice. "Why?"

I scowled. "I just have a bone to pick with her."

"Oh," Aang began, knowing coming on his face. "Is this about the new nickname she gave you?"

"Does everyone know about this name except me?!"

He patted me on the shoulder. "It's all good. You should be happy to have such a title. It suits you 'Burp Queen'." Aang dodged my hand as I tried to smack him. He twisted on his heel and rushed down the hall. He stopped as he reached the end. Turning to me he finally answered my question. "Toph's out back by the fountain." He then disappeared so I wouldn't fry him.

Rolling my eyes, I headed back outside the giant house into the back yard. When I reached the area where the fountain stood, I saw Toph was practicing some earth bending.

"Toph! I need to talk to you!"

She had seen me coming through the earth below and wasn't surprised when I spoke. Stopping from creating another boulder, she turned toward me crossing her arms and smirking. "What's up Princess?"

"I don't appreciate the name you gave me," I snapped at her.

"Oh lighten up. You should be privileged to be given such a title," Toph said. "The 'Burp Queen' is an honor."

At first I went to snap at her again. Instead I let out a hard sigh, muttering to myself, "I should've just thrown that competition."

"Yeah. You should've. We haven't pranked Katara in a while," Toph joked. Rolling my eyes, I turned and started to leave. "Bye Burp Queen!"

To my surprise, a smile came on my face as I headed away from Toph. Even though the name was awful, Toph was just being the same annoying Toph she always was. I couldn't stay mad at her.

Later that day the whole group was lounged out on the stone steps that led to the front door of the beach house. We were watching Zuko and Aang practice fire bending, not really having much else to do. Kale was reading a book he must've found in the house, Sokka was leaning back, Suki was lying sideways on one of the steps, Toph was lying upside down on the steps, and Katara was on the top of the steps doing something with watermelons. Momo sat in my lap and I stroked his fur absentmindedly as I watched Zuko coach Aang.

"More ferocious!"

Aang shot another blast across the yard to make Zuko happy. My brother was observing him with his arms crossed and eyes determined. "Imagine striking through your opponent's heart!"

Aang shot another blast, however from the look on his face I could tell he was getting a little frustrated at Zuko. They'd been at it for almost an hour. He turned to Zuko snapping, "Ugh! I'm trying!"

Kale looked up from the book he was engrossed in, surprised by Aang's sudden irritation.

Zuko didn't waver. "Now let me hear you roar like a tiger-dillo!"

Aang stretched his arms out and opened his mouth with a weak roar. Small spouts of fire came from his mouth and outward palms.

"That sounded pathetic!" Zuko shouted louder, "Roar!"

With frustration toward my brother, Aang let out a hard roar and his fire shot much farther this time from his mouth and hands. Momo jumped from my lap at the sudden roar and ran across the yard behind Zuko's legs for protection. I almost laughed at the little guy. He'd taken a liking to my brother Zuko over the last few weeks, and I don't think Zuko was amused when he woke up one morning to find the lemur sleeping on his chest.

Zuko was nodding in approval, although his eyes shot down to the lemur at his feet with disbelief. He took a step away and Momo followed him. I covered my mouth to keep from giggling.

Katara suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Who wants a nice cool glass of watermelon juice?" She held up two watermelons in her hands.

Aang beamed. "Ooo, ooo, me, me, me!" He turned and started to run toward Katara.

Zuko stepped over quickly grabbing Aang by the shirt to stop him from running off. "Hey! your lesson's not over yet!" Aang struggled more to break out of Zuko's grip, and my brother didn't look one bit amused. "Get back here."

He managed to pull Aang in the air by his shirt as if he weighed nothing, and Aang looked disappointed.

Suki suddenly spoke up from behind me. "Come on, Zuko. Just take a break. What's the big deal?"

Zuko was irritated. "Fine." He dropped Aang who immediately ran over to Katara for some watermelon juice. Standing, I walked over to Zuko to try and calm him down as he snapped at everyone, "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail-sloths all day, then go ahead!" He turned on his heel and walked away from the group. Momo ran from him back over to Aang who was sipping on watermelon juice greedily.

Following Zuko down the sandy path he had taken, I managed to catch up beside him crossing my arms. "They're just trying to keep things light Zuko. It's been a long rough journey, so having some time to relax and not worry is something they need. It's something you need too."

He stopped walking. "The comet's in three days!" He turned so he was facing me. "How are we all supposed to just lounge around and pretend the end of the world isn't about to happen? We all should be preparing for battle, not drinking watermelon juice."

"I know you're frustrated," I began. "I am too about all of this. However last time we talked nonstop about battle Aang's nerves were shot through the roof. We want him well rested for what's to come."

"Well he won't have to worry about what's to come," Zuko snapped. "With his head not in the game he'll be fried as soon as he faces the Fire Lord. He needs to be ready, not relaxed!" Zuko turned on his heel again and stomped away from me.

Sighing heavily, I turned and made my way back to the beach house. When I returned to the stone steps I was surprised to find no one was there except Kale. He was still reading his book looking bored.

"Where'd everyone go?"

He shut his book after he finished reading the sentence he was on, placing it down beside him. When I saw the cover of the book, I almost smiled seeing it was a book on tea. "The water... They're having a beach party or something like that. Sokka's idea." He noticed the anxiety I felt inside me. "You okay?"

Shaking my head, I sat down beside Kale so that our knees slightly brushed each other. "Zuko's frustrated with Aang. He doesn't think Aang will be ready for the comet in three days."

Kale crossed his arms. "Guess that means he hasn't heard the new plan."

My eyes shot to him with question. "New plan?"

"Yeah," he said, looking over at me with surprise. "Sokka didn't tell you? Aang's going to finish out his fire bending training first, wait for the comet to pass and all, and then we strike when Aang really is ready."

My eyes widened. "What? And no one was going to tell me about this?!"

Kale was taken off guard. "I thought you knew." A thought hit him. "So that's why you were stressed and freaking out this morning? Sokka said he was going to tell you!"

Quickly I got to my feet again. "They're going to just let the comet pass? Aren't they at all concerned with how the Fire Nation will use the comet? With so much power, the Fire Lord might just wipe out the rest of the world that day!"

Kale stood, grabbing my shoulders to calm me down. "The comet will only be present for a few hours. What could the Fire Lord possibly do in one day?"

"He's a heartless monster who's killed countless people, burned his only son, and tried to have his own daughter killed. That man will do more harm in one day than even Sozin himself did a hundred years ago," I said. Kale's eyes widened at my words. Taking Kale's hands from my shoulder, I held them for a moment enjoying their warmth. "I have to go tell Zuko. He has no clue what the group's thinking right now."

Turning, I went to run back to where Zuko was headed. Kale followed me, his hand still holding onto my own. We raced back across the sand, heading in the direction I'd seen Zuko stomp off toward. We searched around for a good ten minutes, but there was no sign of him.

I was stumped, grabbing my head in distraught. "Where'd he go? He couldn't have gotten that far ahead."

Kale cringed. "If Zuko's mad at the group, I have a feeling he's thinking about doing something really stupid." Just as Kale finished speaking we heard a loud explosion. My eyes widened and I turned my head back toward the beach. Smoke was flying up toward the sky.

Oh crap… Please don't be Zuko.

We took off toward the smoke, pushing past shrubs and stumbling in the warm sand. When we reached the water where the waves lapped on shore, I saw the group was running for cover as my brother Zuko shot fire at them.

Aang stood by a sand sculpture of Appa, using it as cover from Zuko's attacks. He peaked around the sand sculpture with utter shock and disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

Zuko was poised ready to attack. "Teaching you a lesson!"

More fire was shot at Aang, headed straight toward the sand sculpture. The fire smashed into the sand sending a blast of dust everywhere. Aang jumped in the air dodging the blast and landing a few feet away. Zuko shot another blast at Aang who jumped once more with a yelp. He flew across the air onto a cliff overlooking the beach. Zuko turned and proceeded to fire more flames at Aang who was dodging them like crazy.

Aang finally noticed me standing below and shouted, "Amber! Your brother's gone crazy!"

"Zuko! Stop!" Rushing forward, I grabbed onto his arm to stop him. He shoved me off and I fell back in the sand with a thud. Zuko had shoved me harder than I think he wanted to. He looked at me briefly to make sure I was okay. When he saw I was okay he proceeded to shoot another blast at Aang and the cliff. The fire hit the edge of the cliff Aang was on breaking into pieces.

Kale rushed forward shouting, "Run Aang!"

Aang took off away from the beach, and Zuko took off after him. My eyes widened at the scene before me. What was Zuko trying to prove by doing this?

Kale was beside me suddenly, helping me up. Giving him a thanks, I turned back to where the sound of the explosions continued. "I'm going to try and stop him."

Quickly, I raced in the direction Zuko had just run. Rushing uphill toward the beach house, I heard and saw the flames up ahead as Zuko fired at Aang nonstop. If Zuko hurt Aang there was no telling what the group would do.

Aang was in a tall palm tree up above by the time I caught up to the action. Zuko shot a blast at the tree's leaves setting it on fire, and Aang jumped from the tree with a shout. He landed on the roof of the beach house rolling a bit.

Quickly I used my bending to extinguish the flames in the tree so we didn't alert the whole island we were here. Zuko had already taken off as I did this. Running to the wooden porch that wrapped around the side of the beach house, Zuko jumped onto the porch railing and from there jumped to the roof. He was very agile which I found somewhat impressing. I pushed aside my admiration though shouting, "Zuko! Stop this! What's gotten into you?!"

"Yeah, Zuko," Aang said, ready to fight again as Zuko approached him on the dark red wooden roof. "Listen to your sister! Get a grip before I blast you off this roof!"

Zuko didn't seem to waver. "Go ahead and do it!"

He shot two blasts of fire from his fists and another two from his feet. The volley of flames shot toward Aang who quickly jerked to the side and slid down the sloped roof. He managed to grab onto the edge of the roof and swing himself inside the beach house. Rushing forward I shot a blast of fire at Zuko who easily dodged it falling to the roof. He stood once more and shot a powerful blast at his feet crashing through the roof into the room Aang had entered.

Rushing over to the building, I used my bending and shot myself into the window Aang had gone through earlier. Landing inside a dusty storage room, I quickly got to my feet and stepped in front of Zuko who was searching the room for Aang. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but attacking Aang won't get you anywhere!"

He scowled, snapping, "Stay out of my way."

"Amber! Move!" Aang's voice took me off guard, but I quickly jumped to the side as a shelf was slid across the room toward Zuko. The shelf just barely hit Zuko as he broke it up with a blast of fire. I gasped as wood flew in all directions, feeling a few pieces graze my skin.

Aang was suddenly beside me and grabbed my arm yanking me out of the room. "Run!"

My feet had no choice but to follow as Aang yanked me away from my brother and down a hall. He pulled me quickly and I looked back in enough time to see Zuko slide into the hallway after us. Yanking from Aang's hold, I turned just as Zuko shot a bunch of fire in the hall we were in. The fire almost looked like a sideways vortex shooting toward us to suck us in. Reaching my hand forward, I stopped the flames just as they reached us killing the vortex midair.

Aang took my defense to his advantage, jumping in front of me and shouting, "Enough!" He shot a hard blast of air through the hall which smacked into Zuko. My brother was thrown back hitting into the wall at the end of the hall and smashing through. We heard his shout as he was thrown through the air and forced to crash on the ground below. Aang and I rushed over to the hole that now decorated the wall, worry filling inside me.

Looking below, I saw Zuko lying on his back on a pile of wood, his face wincing with pain. The others arrived near where Zuko had been thrown, and they didn't look happy. As Zuko recovered from Aang's attack, the others ganged up on him.

"What's wrong with you?!" Katara's shout echoed through the air. Aang grabbed me around the waist suddenly and jumped us through the air so we could land lightly on the ground below. Katara was still snapping at Zuko. "You could have hurt Aang!" Aang let me go, stepping forward to get answers.

Zuko was to his feet again. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you! How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only 3 days away!"

The group was surprised by Zuko's words.

Zuko looked at them with question. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"

Aang stepped forward some more, rubbing the back of his neck. "About Sozin's Comet... I was actually going to wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came."

"After?"

Aang nodded. "I'm not ready. I need more time to master fire bending."

Toph spoke up. "And frankly, your earth bending could still use some work too."

Zuko looked around in amazement. "So you all knew Aang was going to wait?"

Kale spoke up. "Actually, Amber had no idea like you. She was surprised when I told her a few minutes ago."

"Oh crap… I forgot tell her," Sokka realized, slapping his forehead in guilt.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "You were probably too busy flirting with Suki." Both Suki and Sokka's cheeks went red.

Sokka cleared his throat to push away his embarrassment. Getting back to Zuko's question, he said, "Honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose." He looked over at Aang quickly. "No offense."

Katara sighed. "The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war. But they pretty much won the war when they took Ba Sing Sei. Things can't get any worse." She dropped her head in dismay.

Zuko shook his head. "You're wrong." He tightened his fist as he looked down at the ground. "It's about to get worse than you can even imagine."

Kale was shocked by Zuko's words. "What do you mean by that?"

Zuko crossed his arms and plopped down on a large rock jutting out of the ground. "The day before the eclipse, my Father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My Father had finally accepted me back. I was so excited when I headed in and sat on his right side. However, as the war meeting began discussion about Ba Sing Sei came up. The city has been taken but there are rebel groups that continue to resist and stop the Fire Nation from achieving complete victory. My father said that the only way to resolve these rebellions is to wipe the Earth Kingdom off the face of the world. He's going to us the power from the comet and burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground. He's ordered for a massive fleet of airships to soar over the Earth Kingdom so his soldiers can rain fire down on the land. He wants to destroy everything so he can be the ultimate ruler."

My breathing stopped as I took in everything Zuko was saying. The Fire Lord was going to destroy everything, including everyone. He planned to burn everything, killing everyone in his path.

Zuko spoke again, his head hanging in guilt. "I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan. But I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life I struggled to gain my Father's love and acceptance. But once I had it, I realized I lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was."

Katara fell to her knees covering her face. "I can't believe this."

Sokka, who held Suki to his side, looked torn at this information. "I always knew that the Fire Lord was a bad guy… especially after everything he did to Amber… but his plan is just pure evil."

Aang clutched his head in terror. "What am I going to do?"

Zuko stood walking over to Aang and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared. And I know that you're not ready to save the World. But if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."

Aang pointed to himself aggravated. "Why didn't you tell me about your Dad's crazy plan sooner?"

"I didn't think I had to," Zuko defended. "I assumed that you were still going to fight him before the comet. No one told me you decided to wait!"

The young avatar fell on his knees with utter panic. "This is bad. This is really, really bad."

Walking over to Aang, I knelt beside him placing my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Aang. We're not going to let you face this alone. I know you're scared, but if we work together we can face this monster and win."

Katara stepped over too. "Amber's right. Aang, you don't have to do this alone."

Toph added in, "Yeah. If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down!"

Sokka beamed. "Alright!" He raised his arm in enthusiasm. "Team Avatar is back!" He pointed at each of us as he named our skills. "Air! Water! Earth! Fire! Fan and swords!" He picked up some palm leaves and handed them over to Kale and Suki to indicate Kale had a sword and Suki had a fan. He held his own palm leaves in his hand to show he had a sword as well. Kale dropped his fake sword shaking his head in disbelief.

"Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done together," Aang began. "But I wouldn't want to do it any other way." The group got into a large hug then, and I smiled a bit glad to know we were all sticking together. My eyes shot over to Zuko who stood off to the side not sure if he should join in or not.

Katara noticed and smirked at my brother. "Get over here, Zuko. Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs."

Zuko looked like he wanted to argue, but I shot him an encouraging smile. He sighed and stepped forward, entering the group hug. Momo landed on his shoulder joining in also, and Appa landed on all of us out of nowhere shoving us to the ground. Though we were underneath the giant furry guy, we all burst into laughter, even Zuko.

Appa got off of us a moment later, and we all helped each other off the ground. When we were cleaned off, Aang told Zuko he was ready to train as much as he could before the comet in three days. Zuko told him to meet out back in an hour for another training session. He thought we all needed a breather. While the group dispersed to gather their thoughts, Zuko apologized to Aang for attacking him. Aang shrugged it off, saying, "You were just trying to get my attention." Aang walked off then to go relax before his training later.

Sighing, I pressed my hand to my arm where I suddenly felt a few scratches that stung. I assumed I'd gotten them from the shelf exploding on me.

Zuko noticed. "Sorry I hurt you. I was a bit hot headed earlier."

"You're always hot headed," Kale stated, standing beside me with his arms crossed.

Zuko ignored him and walked over taking my arm in his hands. He inspected the cuts with guilt. There were a few burns as well which only made my arm look worse than how it really felt.

"It's nothing," I said, taking his hand and pulling it from my arm. I continued to hold his hand in my own though to reassure him. "I think you need to apologize more to the shelf you destroyed."

Zuko rolled his eyes, pulling from my hand. "That old thing? It was on its last days anyway," he joked. I laughed, glad to see Zuko was in a somewhat better mood. He turned serious again. "I am sorry though. I could've terribly hurt someone. Sometimes I act before I think."

Kale walked over to Zuko and slapped him on the back. Zuko stumbled forward a bit while Kale said, "That comes with being hard headed." Zuko took a swing at Kale, who dodged easily with a chuckle. I smiled, glad to see Kale and Zuko interacting like friends.

Things were finally starting to fall in place.

Later on Zuko and Aang went to go train once more. Kale, Katara, Momo, and I sat on the wooden porch as we watched the training session. The others were in the house deliberating over what steps to take in the next day or so. Katara had healed my burns and cuts over the hour we'd taken a breather. Zuko was relieved when he saw the damage he had caused was mended.

"There's one technique you need to know before facing my Father. How to redirect lightning," Zuko began. I cringed at the thought of lightning. Aang beamed with anticipation. "If you let the energy in your own body flow," he stretched his arm out and traced a path with his finger from one hand, down his arm, shoulder, stomach, and back out to the other side of his body, "the lightning will follow it. You turn your opponent's energy against them."

Aang thought this over. "That's like water bending."

Zuko nodded. "Exactly. My Uncle invented this technique himself by studying water benders." He started to do the movement repeatedly and Aang followed his motions to get the feel for it.

"So... Have you ever redirected lightning before?"

Zuko hung his head a bit by Aang's question. "Once. Against my Father."

A frown came on my face at Zuko's words. Father had tried to kill Zuko with lightning? I cringed just picturing it in my head. Thank goodness Uncle taught Zuko before it was too late.

"What did it feel like?"

Zuko answered him again, "Exhilarating. But terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body. But you know that if you make the wrong move, it's over."

Aang laughed nervously. "Heh. Well, not over over, right I mean there's always Katara and a little spirit water action... Am I right?" He turned to Katara with hope.

She hung her head. "Actually I used it all up after Azula shot Amber."

My mind shot back to Ba Sing Sei suddenly, my head spinning at the memory of the lightning coursing through my veins. So much pain. So much fear. My body trembled and Kale placed a hand on my knee to comfort me. I smiled weakly at his warmth, glad for his comfort.

"Oh," Aang said, cringing at her words.

Zuko became serious. "You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life, before he takes yours."

Aang frowned, not liking what Zuko had said. Rubbing his neck, he muttered, "Yeah… I'll just do that." Zuko turned and walked away then.

"Poor kid," Kale muttered, almost sensing how disturbed Aang was over the idea of killing someone.

Standing, I walked over to Aang who was kicking pebbles absentmindedly. "Aang… Can I talk to you for a second?"

He looked at me with question, but before he could say anything Sokka came into the yard beaming.

"We've come up with the perfect strategy for taking down the Fire Lord," he exclaimed. "We want to do a practice run really quick. Suki and I flew out to some outer islands and found the perfect one to practice on." None of us moved, surprised by his sudden interruption. "Come on people. We don't have all day!"

Aang and I looked at one another again. "Guess we'll talk later," Aang said. His shoulders slumped a bit as he walked off to prepare for one of Sokka's crazy ideas.

Eventually we all loaded up on Appa and flew out toward an island five miles or so from Ember Island. The desolate island we landed on had a rocky mountainous terrain. There seemed to be no wild life or plant life in sight. The island over all felt dead. Sokka was wearing his water tribe armor and had his sword at his waist. Kale had brought his sword too, and Suki had brought her fan. The rest of us had our bending to rely on.

"Great job on the location, Sokka," Toph praised.

Sokka sucked up his pride. "Actually, Suki chose this location."

"It's great…. So what exactly are we doing here?"

Everyone looked over at Kale when he spoke. Sokka took charge. "If we're going to go after the Fire Lord we need to have a strategy. Heading in blindly will kill us." He pointed to the highest point on the rocky hill we stood beside. "We're going to make a Fire Lord dummy and put it up there." He led us all to the top of the hill, and it was then I noticed Suki was carrying a watermelon with a face carved in it. Katara was carrying a red drape.

Reaching the top of the hill, Toph piled up a bunch of rocks to make a body while Kale stuck sticks into the rocks for some hands and a neck. Sokka took the fake head from Suki and smashed it through the stick on top to make the head. Katara placed the red drape around the dummy to indicate it was indeed the Fire Lord. My eyes stared at the dummy in front of me with disbelief. The face had been cut so the mouth had sharp teeth and the eyes looked ready to kill.

"Gather round Team Avatar," Sokka suddenly said, standing in front of the dummy. With a sigh I plopped down on a rock, and Kale plopped down beside me. The others sat on the ground giving Sokka their undivided attention. "In order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case, the "Melon Lord", our timing has to be perfect." He knelt down so he could speak more directly to the group. "First, Suki, Kale, and I will draw his fire." He picked up a stick and started to draw a circle with a line curving toward it. He continued to draw another line shooting straight up toward the circle. "Then, Katara, Amber, and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offence and while the "Melon Lord" is distracted, Aang swoops in and "BAM!" He draws another line curving around and striking through the circle. "He delivers the final blow."

From the corner of my eyes I saw Aang cringe at Sokka's words. He didn't want to kill anyone. Not even the Fire Lord. I could see it in his eyes. It seemed I could always tell what Aang was thinking.

"Err..." Toph suddenly spoke up. "What about me?"

Sokka pointed at her. "For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces."

Toph seemed to like this idea. "So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?"

My water tribe brother nodded. "Whatever makes the training feel more realistic."

Toph beamed. "Sweetness."

We lit three campfires for Toph then, so she could light some boulders on fire to give our task more of a fire bender effect.

"Alright team! Let's do this!" Sokka pumped his fist in the air in encouragement, and then he headed back down hill to take his position. The others followed him back downhill.

While we headed to our positions I walked beside Aang so I could talk to him. "You okay?"

He jumped a bit, startled by my sudden question. He quickly looked away. "No…" He kept walking, not explaining to me why. I didn't need an explanation though. I knew it was because he didn't want to kill anyone. He was just a kid…

Getting into my position behind a boulder, I saw Katara looked determined while Zuko looked focused. I knew I needed to get my head in the game, but I was worried about Aang. Looking around the corner of the boulder, I saw him standing in his position by some rocks. He had sweat beading down his forehead, and his hands clutched his staff tightly while his body shook a bit.

I really needed to talk to him…

"Ready everyone!"

Sokka's voice broke through my thoughts. Sighing, I turned back to face the "Melon Lord" deciding that talking to Aang would have to wait.

Laughter rang on the hill up above as Toph took her position. "Muahahahahahaha!"

Sokka stood across from us, Kale and Suki with him. Sokka gestured for us all to go. Everything happened so fast then. We all ran out of our hiding spots and raced up hill in two different directions. Katara, Zuko, and I flanked straight up hill, while Sokka, Suki, and Kale flanked around to the right. Toph shot flaming balls of mud toward us, which she lit with the fire I'd left with her. She also made stone figurines of soldiers that she slid down at us. Using my bending I shot fire at the balls of flames to send them in different directions, while Zuko and Katara took care of the fake soldiers. From the corner of my eyes I saw Suki, Sokka, and Kale were swiftly dodging the boulders and soldiers being sent toward them. Kale sliced a soldier with his sword, and then dodged a boulder coming at him. He'd improved a lot over the last few months.

Katara's voice snapped, "Amber! Stay focused!"

Jumping, I turned just in time to see a boulder flying right at me. Shooting fire at the boulder, it exploded in front of me and the rocky debris flew around me.

Eventually we reached the top of the hill, and Sokka shouted, "Now Aang!"

Aang flew out of nowhere, his staff in hand as he lunged down toward the dummy we'd made. Toph stepped back to get out of the way. Just as Aang went to hit the dummy, he stopped, his staff hovering over the melon head frozen. He couldn't move as he stared at the dummy in front of him, picturing that it truly was the Fire Lord instead of a pile of rocks. Aang pulled back, hanging his head in defeat.

Zuko shouted from beside me, "What are you waiting for? Take him out!"

Aang shook his head. "I can't."

Sokka stomped over annoyed. "What's wrong with you?!" He pointed at Aang almost accusing him. "If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now!"

Taking a step forward, I said, "Sokka-"

He cut me off. "Stay out of this Amber!" I cringed a bit by the anger in his voice.

Aang cringed too. "I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself."

Sokka unsheathed his sword and stepped forward. With a hard swing he sliced through the watermelon splitting it in half. It fell to the ground with a thump. "There. That's how you do it!" Sokka turned and walked away. Aang hung his head, his face showing he didn't know what to do.

Later that night we were back at the beach house, hanging out on the porch in the back yard. We all had some meat Kale and I'd bought from the Fire Nation village nearby. While we chowed down, I noticed Aang was picking at his rice absentmindedly. He looked upset. Really upset.

Katara showed up suddenly, her face beaming with delight. "I have a surprise for everyone!"

Toph said beside me, "I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Silence fell over the group at Toph's words.

Katara was taken off guard. "Er, no." We returned our attention to her, brushing what Toph said aside. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this." She held a scroll in her hand and unrolled it. On the scroll was a drawing of a cute chubby Fire Nation baby. "Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?"

Zuko hung his head, shutting his eyes annoyed.

Katara noticed. "Oh lighten up, I was just teasing."

He opened his eyes, placing his food aside and crossing his arms. "That's not me. It's my Father."

The others were shocked. "But he looked so sweet and innocent," Suki commented.

Zuko scowled. "Well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster. And the worst Father in the history of Fathers."

I cringed as I pictured him ordering Zhao to eliminate me. I also pictured what it must've looked like when he burned Zuko.

"But he is still a human being," Aang spoke up suddenly for the first time all night.

Zuko was bewildered. "You're going to defend him?"

"No, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai," Aang stood and continued, "is a horrible person and the world will probably be better off without him. There's gotta be another way."

I knew another way. The idea of facing my father terrified me, but I knew I had to help Aang any way I could. "Aang, I-"

Zuko cut me off before I could say what I needed to say. "Like what?"

Aang held his arms up in dismay. "I don't know. Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use glue bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."

I tried to speak once more. "Aang, I can-"

Zuko cut me off again, and I narrowed my eyes at him. Why wouldn't anyone let me talk? "Yeah. Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again." The group snickered at his sarcasm. I crossed my arms annoyed that I kept getting interrupted.

Aang naively asked, "Do you think that will work?"

Turning serious and stern, Zuko snapped, "No!"

Aang hung his head again with a heavy sigh. "This goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like..."

"Sure, you can," Sokka said with ease. "You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the Universe will forgive you." "

Aang was irritated. "This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!"

Katara took a step forward. "Aang, we do understand. It's just..."

"Just what, Katara?! What?"

She stepped back with shock. "We're trying to help!"

"Then when you," he pointed at Katara and continued, "figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I love to hear it!" He turned on his heel and stomped away.

Katara cried out, "Aang, don't walk away from this!"

Jumping to my feet, I rushed after Aang deciding the only way I was going to talk to him was alone. Following him into the beach house and upstairs, he went into the room he was staying in and I stopped at the doorway. "Aang… I really need to talk to you," I said.

Aang plopped down with a sigh, Momo appearing in the room suddenly and running to sit in his lap. The window in the room faced the ocean where you could see the moon over the lapping waves. "Alright… I'm listening," he said softly, his voice weak with dismay. It was finally quiet now that it was just the two of us. No more interruptions.

"Look Aang… I agree with you," I said. This struck his attention, and he looked at me with surprise. "Killing the Fire Lord won't do any good for anyone. If you kill him then you won't gain the world's respect like you need to." Aang hung his head knowing I was right.

"Then what do you propose I do?"

Sitting on my knees in front of him, I answered, "The glue bending thing you mentioned earlier is a good idea." His eyes shot over to me confused. "If I can get close enough to the Fire Lord I can take his fire bending away. You've seen me do it before, so you know I can. All I need to do is get close enough to make contact with him. If I draw his fire from his control he'll become defenseless and be forced to surrender. You just have to fight him long enough to get me to him."

Aang was surprised by what I said. He stared at me wordlessly for a good minute. At first he looked like maybe he'd agree to the idea. However, he finally shook his head. "No… I can't let you do that Amber. This is my battle, not yours."

He didn't want me to face my father, but I knew if it meant protecting him then I would do it. Seeing the Fire Lord was the last thing on my mind, but I would to keep my friend safe. "I know you said before you don't want me fighting the Fire Lord because all I'll want is revenge. This isn't about revenge though. This is about helping you Aang. You know I can take his fire away. I just have to-"

"No!" Aang suddenly stood, looking down at me with hard eyes. "I'm not going to let you anywhere near that man! Especially after everything he did to you in the past. Besides… This is something I _have_ to face alone. If the world see's that I have help stopping him they won't respect me. They'll think I'm weak and a coward."

I went to argue again, getting to my feet, but he spoke cutting me off once more.

"This war is my fault. If I had never gotten stuck in that iceberg a hundred years ago I could've stopped Sozin before he killed my people. This war would've ended before it began. It's my job to return peace to this world, and I intend to do that alone. You're going to stay and fight with the others," Aang said. "I want you all safe."

"Aang. There's no way I'm letting you go alo-"

Aang snapped at me, cutting me off. "I'm not asking, Amber! It's an order!"

My eyes widened. It was the first time Aang had ever ordered me to do anything. My mouth became dry as I struggled for what to say. The Avatar was giving me an order, and for the first time ever I felt I had no choice but to obey. His hard eyes stayed on me, as if daring me to challenge him.

A heavy sigh escaped me as I gave in and obeyed Aang's orders. Turning away from Aang, I made my way to his door torn at the thought of him facing such a monster alone. "Fine," I said softly. "I can't argue with you. Just promise me something Aang..." Turning my head, I looked back at him to see he was hanging his head feeling guilty for snapping at me. He looked up with question. "Promise me you'll be careful. If it starts to get too much, I want you to pull back. Don't risk your life over this."

He nodded, his eyes lowering from me. "I will," he softly said.

Crossing my arms, I left him to his thoughts as I made my way back to the others. He didn't know, but I caught on to his lie. He was willing to risk his life to save the world. He was a stubborn kid, even if he did have a good heart.

Later that night I tried to get some shut eye. When I did sleep though, a nightmare came to me.

_Rushing through the large wooden door in front of me, I smashed into the massive throne room of the palace prepared to take the Fire Lord down. The Fire Lord sat on his large wooden throne, his piercing gold eyes stabbing into me as he stared at me across the room. My eyes darted around the room to see we were the only two in it. There was fire lining the walls around me. Looking back, I saw the door I'd just run through was gone, replaced by nothing but fire._

"_So you've come," the Fire Lord sneered, standing from his throne. He looked just as I remembered him from my memories. He walked toward me, and to my terror he was in front of me in the blink of an eye._ _"I've waited a very long time for you Spirit of Fire."_

_Stepping back, I got into a stance ready to fight the man if he came at me. "Surrender! The avatar has won this war. It's over!" My voice almost echoed around me._

_The Fire Lord smirked. "I'm afraid you're wrong my child." My eyes widened when I saw something being dragged into the throne room. Two soldiers appeared in the room out of nowhere. In their hands was the slumped form of Aang. He had bloody gashes and awful burns all over his skin. He looked to be in agony as he tried to breathe._

_Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at my friend. "Aang! No!" _

_Rushing forward, I was abruptly stopped and pulled back by a strong arm. The arm wrapped around my body, pinning my arms to my sides to restrain me. The Fire Lord used his other hand grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at Aang. I struggled with all my might, but it was as if a statue were really the one restraining me._

"_You will watch as I end this world's last hope. With the avatar gone, I will be invincible. Once I destroy him, I'll destroy the rest of your friends before your eyes. You will lose everyone you love and spend the rest of your days alone in a cold cell where you belong," he hissed in my ear, like a hungry snake. He was hungry for blood._

"_No! Stop! Aang!"_

_The soldiers practically tossed Aang on the ground, his body landing with a thud. He lied there too weak to move. His eyes opened slowly, unfocused as he looked over at me with pain. His voice sounded so weak and pained when he spoke. "Amber… Get out of here… Get to safety…"_

"_No! No! I won't leave you!"_

_I struggled harder, but the arm around me didn't waver one bit. My fire wouldn't come out of me, no matter how hard I tried. It was almost like a force was keeping me from fire bending. _

"_I'm sorry Amber," Aang said, his voice barely above a whisper._

_A sob escaped me as I struggled endlessly to escape and reach Aang. _

_The Fire Lord hissed beside me, "Let's be done with this!"_

_Both of the soldiers pulled up spears out of nowhere and prepared to strike Aang. The Fire Lord laughed manically beside me as the spears lunged straight down toward my friend, going for the kill._

"NO!"

Sitting up, my voice echoed loudly through the dark room as I held my hand out to stop the spears from stabbing Aang. Sweat poured down my forehead as my body trembled from the nightmare. My ears could hear the blood pumping through my veins as my heart pounded rapidly. Trying to breathe, I felt my lungs were tight and my throat was parched. Tears slid down my cheeks as I clutched my hair trying to grasp reality. The image of Aang dying constantly replayed in my mind.

Shoving my sweat soaked blanket off of me, I stumbled out of bed getting up with shaking feet. The moon outside lit my path as I rushed into the hall wildly trying to find my way to where I needed to go. I had to change Aang's mind. I had to stop him from going alone.

Passing a window, I froze. Looking over toward the ocean, I saw Aang standing on the shoreline from the light of the moon. Momo was with him. What was he doing? He suddenly lunged into the water and took off swimming. Momo took off in the sky flying alongside him as he swam from shore.

The window was open so I did the only logical thing I could think off. Gripping the window sill, I lunged my body over and down on the ground outside. My bare feet hit the dirt hard, but I ignored the pain vibrating through my legs. Racing down the path toward the beach, I shouted, "Aang! Wait! What are you doing?"

He kept swimming, his form going farther and farther away. From the distance I could see what he was swimming toward. It was some type of island, and it seemed the island had appeared out of nowhere.

Reaching the shoreline, I heard Roku shout, _"Amber, no! Aang needs to do this alone!" _

My feet stopped in the water as I came to a halt from Roku's words. My heart pounded hard as I watched Aang swim away from us to an island that hadn't been there a few hours ago. "Where is he going? He can't just leave!"

"_The young Avatar will be fine. He must find answers on his own. Once long ago your path was to be by his side, however that was the path Huo and I had selfishly chosen for you. You must go your own path now, Amber. Leave Aang to his destiny, and worry about your own," _Roku said.

"My destiny… my destiny is to help Aang," I said, taking a step forward. The water trailed over my feet as I got closer to the waves.

"_No. Your destiny is to protect your family... I will watch over Aang. You worry about your duties as the Spirit of Fire."_

My duties… Wouldn't my duties be to help the avatar?

"_Your duty is to bring the true meaning of fire back to the land," _Roku said._ "Aang will take care of Ozai. You focus more on protecting the others."_

Feeling utterly defeated, I stepped back from the water and plopped down in the sand. With frustration I held my head in my hands. Shutting my eyes, I tried to calm my pulsing heart as it rapidly continued to beat. When I looked up a moment later after gathering myself, I saw Aang, Momo, and the island were all gone.

"_Trust Aang… He's strong. He will not be defeated."_

Roku's reassurance finally made my heavy shoulders relax.

Gathering myself, I stood and ran a hand through my hair. My other hand brushed the tears that were on my cheeks. I had to trust that Aang would be okay. I had to trust that he would surely defeat the Fire Lord. Though the nightmare still played in my head, I tried to push it aside as I thought about Aang winning.

He'd win. He'd definitely win against the Fire Lord. He had to win…

The rest of the night I stayed at the beach, trying so hard to clear my head. My thoughts were running with questions. Where did Aang and the island go? Should I have gone after him? What should I tell the others? When the sun started to rise once more, and morning returned, I sighed knowing I'd be exhausted during the day from another sleepless night.

What was I going to tell the others though? They'd soon wake up and find Aang missing. When that happened I had no clue what I was going to say… I didn't even understand what had happened to Aang. All I knew was he was going on some quest to find 'answers' as Roku had said.

"_You must not tell your friends about Aang. You must focus on preparing for battle."_

I sighed, understanding what Roku was saying to me. Aang would go after the Fire Lord, while the rest of us would stop the airships from burning down the Earth Kingdom. Hugging my knees to my chest, I said softly, "So what am I supposed to say?"

"I thought I'd find you here," Kale suddenly said, making me jump at his abrupt entrance. Looking over, I saw him heading down the sand toward me. He hadn't heard me talking to Roku, and for that I was relieved. "The others are preparing Appa for departure. You weren't in your room, and it looked like the blankets were practically thrown, so I got worried."

A hard sigh escaped me as I pulled my knees closer to my chest hugging them harder. "I just had a nightmare," I said softly.

Kale was taken off guard, and his voice softened with worry. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shutting my eyes, I answered, "It was about Aang. I saw Aang die."

Kale sat beside me suddenly, his hand on the small of my back as he tried to comfort me. "Aang's a strong kid Amber. He's going to win this."

"I know… I know he's strong, but he's also still a kid." Pressing my face to my knees, I shut my eyes harder. "I'm just really worried about him. I can't imagine him being killed by the Fire Lord. If he dies, then-"

"He won't die," Kale promised. His determination took me off guard. Looking over at him with question, I saw him smile reassuringly to me. "Aang may look like a kid, but when I really see him I don't see a kid. I see a wise, powerful, and determined Avatar. Aang is strong enough to win this war. We all just have to support him until the end."

My eyes shot back to the ocean in front of me where the island had once been. Guilt filled inside me as I regretted not going after him. I could've swam and caught up to him if I had tried.

"He won't have us for support though," I said softly. Aang was going to face the Fire Lord alone. That island he went on was probably taking him to the Fire Lord as we spoke.

Kale was surprised by my words. "What do you mean?"

Hanging my head, I went to answer with a lie but someone cut me off.

"Kale! Amber!" We both turned to see Katara running toward us. The others were rushing along behind her, and I could tell they were all distressed.

Kale stood and I followed. When we approached the others who stopped in front of us, Kale asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

She tried to catch her breath as she spoke again. "Aang… He's gone! We can't find him anywhere!"

Rubbing my arm, I said, "Oh… Maybe he just went on a walk." The others looked at me with suspicion, and I quickly dropped my head not sure what to tell them. I knew they could tell right away I knew something. What was I supposed to tell them?

_Oh I know where Aang is. He dived into the ocean earlier and swam toward a really big island that one moment was there and the next was gone. I'm sure it's no big deal that he and the island vanished._

"Guys, there's footprints over there," Suki suddenly said, pointing to a spot in the distance.

The others left me and ran over to the spot where Aang had walked past only a few hours ago. Following them, I saw Kale look at me with question. "What's going on? Do you know where Aang went?"

I shrugged. "No…"

It was somewhat the truth. I had no clue where Aang and the island had gone. All I knew was Aang was on an island somewhere, probably trying to figure out how to defeat the Fire Lord.

"So," Suki started to say. "He went for a midnight swim and never came back?" His footprints went into the water, but they never came out.

"Maybe he was captured," Katara thought.

Sokka shook his head. "I don't think so. There's no sign of a struggle."

Toph hung her head. "I bet he ran away again."

Sokka didn't look convinced. "Ah-uh. He left behind his glider and Appa."

Toph got a little irritated. "Then what do you think happened to him oh sleuthy one?"

My water tribe brother thought it over for a moment. I rubbed my arm with guilt, not sure what to do. Zuko looked over at me with suspicion and I looked away staring at a seashell by my foot.

Sokka spoke again. "It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey."

Zuko sighed, speaking up, "But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?"

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that," Sokka muttered, slumping with disappointment.

"Then he's gotta be somewhere on Ember Island. Let's split up and look for him."

Everyone took what Katara said in, deciding she was right. Toph quickly stepped beside Zuko grabbing his arm. "I'm going with Zuko!"

My brother blushed beat red as she hugged his arm. He wasn't used to someone hugging him like that. The group looked at her with surprise and curiosity at her eagerness to go with Zuko.

"What? Everyone else went on a life changing fieldtrip with Zuko. Now it's my turn." She hugged him tighter. Kale snickered beside me while Zuko blushed even more.

Sokka sighed. "Alright, let's split up and look for Aang. He couldn't have gotten far."

As the group broke off into different groups, Kale and I stuck with Sokka to go search the beach for Aang. I felt guilty for not telling them about Aang. I knew sooner or later I'd have to tell them. I was just not sure what to tell them, because I myself had no clue where Aang went.

The kid jumped in the water, swam to some island that wasn't there before, and in the blink of an eye him and the island were gone. Roku told me that Aang had to find answers on his own. What kind of answers could he find on a disappearing island?

Sokka suddenly shouted, "Amber! Hurry up!"

Jumping, I saw he and Kale had reached Appa and started to climb on top of him. With a heavy sigh, I ran over and climbed onto Appa too. Looking back out toward the horizon, I really hoped Aang was okay… wherever he was.

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><p><strong>AN: That's the chapter. I wasn't sure where I wanted to cut it off, so I ended the chapter a little before the actual episode ended. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you all thought. I was debating a lot if I wanted Amber to go with Aang on the island, but then I decided it was best she stayed with the others. I've already started on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll have it done soon. ~Faithy Waithy**


	22. Old Enemies, Old Friends

**A/N: I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. It took much longer than I wanted it to. I hope you all enjoy though. Thanks for the reviews and thoughts on the last one. ;)**

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><p>Sokka landed Appa on the front lawn of the beach house. Katara, Toph, Suki, and Zuko were seated on the steps looking utterly dismayed that they couldn't find Aang. We'd been searching for over an hour, and there was no sign of him. Of course I knew where Aang was… sort of. He was somewhere on an invisible island. There was no way I'd tell the others that though. They'd think I'd lost my mind.<p>

"Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang either," Sokka said with defeat.

Scooting off of Appa, Sokka walked over to the others with heavy shoulders. Kale and I followed him, dropping down from the saddle and stepping over to the group. Over the hour Kale had shot me suspicious glances as we searched the shoreline for Aang. He could see right through me, and he knew I was hiding something.

Zuko let out a hard sigh. "No… It's like he just… disappeared."

Toph spoke up. "Hey, wait a minute, has anyone noticed that Momo's missing too?"

At this the group looked around with shock, searching for the flying lemur. He was nowhere to be seen, and of course I knew why. Kale looked over at me as I stared at the ground, and I saw from the corner of my eye he still was suspicious.

"Oh no!" Sokka suddenly cried in hysterics. His change in tone made me look at him startled. "I knew it was only a matter of time. Appa ate Momo!" He turned and grabbed onto Appa's mouth forcing the giant guy to open up. "Momo, I'm coming for ya, buddy!" He started to climb into Appa's mouth and I watched with utter disbelief.

"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang," Katara said, shaking her head in disbelief. Kale shook his head also, pressing a finger to his temple at my brother's stupidity.

Sokka was still acting crazy. "That's just what Appa wants you to think!" He climbed farther into Appa's mouth.

Zuko stood shaking his head in disbelief. "Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only 2 days away."

Katara, Suki, and Toph looked expectantly at Zuko. Kale had walked over to Sokka yanking him out of Appa's mouth. While all of this happened, I ran a hand through my hair not sure what to say or do. Should I tell them?

Katara suddenly asked, breaking through my thoughts. "What should we do Zuko?"

Zuko ran a hand through his own hair in frustration. "I don't know." He noticed everyone was staring at him and got paranoid. "Why are you all looking at me?"

Katara shrugged. "Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang."

"Yeah, if anyone's got experience hunting the Avatar it's you," Toph stated.

Sokka had rejoined the group, Kale taking his place beside me and rubbing saliva from Appa on his pants with disgust. Sokka was covered in it, making Suki cringe a bit when he stepped beside her.

Zuko thought it over. While he did that I finally spoke up. "I have a confession to make," I said. The group looked over at me with question. "I know where Aang went."

Sokka was immediately in my face. "Wait! You know where Aang is? Why didn't you say anything? We wasted an hour looking for him!" His finger was pointed at my face accusing me.

Shoving his finger away from my face, I crossed my arms. "I said I know where he went. I don't know where he is now."

Zuko almost sounded desperate when he asked, "Well where did he go?"

Shrugging, I answered, "I woke up last night from a bad dream. When I went through the hall to go talk to Aang I saw him through the window. He was headed toward the ocean where in the distance was a large island. He swam to the island and Momo followed him. When I reached the shore Momo, Aang, and the island were gone. I have no clue where they went."

Sokka was clutching his hair. "And you didn't think to tell us this?!"

"I didn't think you'd believe me. It doesn't matter though… Aang's long gone. Now all we can do is focus on where _we_ need to go," I said.

"_We _need to find Aang," Katara snapped at me.

"Aang will be fine by himself," I reassured.

Kale sighed. "Did Roku tell you that?"

The group looked at Kale with surprise, and then back at me with question. I ran a hand through my hair self-consciously. "So what if he did?"

"Why are you listening to Roku? He's the reason you were involved with all this spirit stuff and what not. I thought you were mad at him," Katara snapped.

"I'm not really mad at him… Besides, he's my Great-Grandfather. He's helped me a lot in the past," I said. "He said Aang needs to find answers on his own. We can't get involved."

Sokka shook his head. "What do you mean 'we can't get involved'?" He made quotation marks in the air when he spoke my exact words. "We have a plan Amber! We're supposed to fight the Fire Lord in two days! We need Aang to win this war!"

"Aang told me he's going to fight the Fire Lord alone. That's probably where he's headed right now. We need to focus more on taking down the air fleet! That's how we'll help Aang!"

Zuko spoke up then, stepping in between the group who were about to gang up on me. "I have an idea." The group backed off from me. After a second everyone looked at him with question. "If Aang is somewhere in the world we'll still be able to track him."

I went to argue, but Kale grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. "You won't be able to talk them out of it," he whispered. "They're too worried about Aang."

A few moments later we were loaded up on Appa. Zuko took the reins and set Appa to the sky. As we headed toward the east, I kept silent deciding the group was already irritated with me. If I said something else I might get snapped at again. While we flew to wherever Zuko was taking us, I noticed Katara seemed to be sick with worry. She fiddled with her hair, probably thinking about Aang.

Sokka spoke up after a few minutes of flying. "Zuko, I don't want to tell you how to do your job but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there."

Zuko seemed determined. "Just trust me."

The day passed of us flying nonstop. We made one stop along the way a little after noon to grab some grub and let Appa rest. When Appa was well rested and we were ready to head out again, we took off in the sky once more. We flew over the Earth Kingdom for hours, and I began to wonder if Zuko really knew where we were going.

The sun was just disappearing on the horizon when finally Zuko forced Appa to land in a largely wooded area. To our surprise, we landed right next to a large wooden building. The building was two floors, the red roofs were slanted, and it seemed the place was built to blend in with its surroundings. When I smelled the alcohol in the air and heard loud shouts from inside, I assumed the place was meant to be hidden. I had a feeling a lot of illegal stuff occurred at the tavern in front of us.

We all slid off of Appa and made our way toward the tavern door. There was a sign on the door reading "All nations welcome" as well as another sign reading "Enter at own risk". The sound of glass shattering inside made me cringe.

Zuko took the lead, saying to all of us, "Stay close. Most of the people inside here are criminals."

"Thanks for the warning," Katara muttered.

Suki was bewildered. "How did you know where to find this place?"

Kale spoke up. "Question should be, why are we at such a place?"

"I came here once before. If I'm right, she'll be here," Zuko said. He didn't explain further, opening the door to the tavern and stepping in. We followed him inside the dusty, loud, and smelly building. Upon entering I saw men and women of all different ages, sizes, and nations crowded around the tavern. Most of them were drinking while others were gambling. When we entered, I noticed Kale inched toward me a bit to protect me if anything happened.

Shouts rang in front of us and we looked over to see a crowd gathered at a long table. A very familiar woman sat at the table arm wrestling a man.

Katara suddenly asked, "And the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?"

Zuko pointed toward the woman at the crowded table. "June."

My eyes widened as realization hit me. It was that woman from a long time ago. The one with that pesky tongue paralyzing shirshu named Nyla. My fist tightened as the bounty hunter from my past came back to haunt me.

She sipped her tea nonchalantly. She looked just as she had when we last saw her. She had jet black hair, piercing brown eyes, and she wore the same dark outfit. A man ran at her and she easily kicked him away shoving him to the ground with her foot. He groaned and she continued to sip her tea.

"Oh yeah," Sokka began. "That weird bounty hunter with the giant mole."

Suki was taken off guard. "Mole? Her skin is flawless."

"I can't believe this," I muttered. "Why are we asking this criminal for help?"

Zuko shot me a look telling me not to say anything to upset anyone. Particularly he didn't want me to upset June. I shut my mouth but narrowed my eyes. So Zuko was going to ask this chick to once again find the avatar with her annoying pet. I'm sure June would be_ thrilled_ to help after last time went so well.

Sokka answered Suki's previous question. "No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on." While Sokka spoke this, June dodged a dude who lunged at her. She almost looked bored.

"Her shirshu," Zuko added to the explanation. "It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the World. It's the one shot we have of finding him."

I sighed heavily. "So to find Aang were consorting with one of your past criminal friends. Mom would be so proud."

Kale seemed uncertain. "Are we sure we can trust this chick?"

"No," Zuko simply answered. He walked toward June then, who smashed another plastered guy away with her foot.

"I don't know who this June lady is," Toph began as we followed Zuko over to the table. "But I like her."

Crossing my arms, I muttered, "You wouldn't if you were the one that got captured by her."

"Wait," Kale began, surprised. "She captured you?"

A sigh escaped me. "Yeah. That was back when Zuko was desperate to capture the Avatar."

Zuko hung his head a bit, ashamed. "Yup, back in the good old days."

We stopped at the table where the twenty or so year old chick June sat. She was refilling her tea when she saw us approach. She immediately recognized who we were. "Oh great, it's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?"

I scowled at her insult toward uncle. Zuko stopped me from stepping forward, grabbing my shoulder to keep me in place. He spoke to hide his own irritation at her words. He sounded regretful as he said, "He's my Uncle, and he's not here."

June looked around the group then, and her eyes landed on me. "Looks like the sibling feud is over. Or did he finally capture you and force you to switch sides?"

"No," I muttered, trying not to shoot a blast of fire at the chick in front of me. "I'm with him willingly."

June smirked at my words, then her eyes shot toward Katara. She sipped her tea, saying, "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend."

Both Zuko and Katara blushed beat red.

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

They're shouts were in unison. June held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, sheesh. I was only teasing. So what do you want?"

Zuko stepped forward a bit. "I need your help finding the Avatar."

June didn't look happy. "Hmph. Doesn't sound too fun."

As she went to take a sip of her tea, Zuko slammed his hand down on the table making her jump a bit. "Does the end of the world sound like more fun?"

His words took June off guard, but they must've knocked some sense into her. She quickly sipped the rest of her tea, slammed some coins down on the table, and then stood heading back toward the door of the tavern. We followed her outside a few yards from the tavern. To our surprise Nyla and Appa had already found one another, and they didn't look happy at all. Both of them were growling at one another. The mole like creature was just as I remembered. It was large, with its long tail, and it had its large snout. The thing that mainly made me cringe from the creature was its long paralyzing tongue.

"Nyla..." June pulled some meat out of nowhere and waved it in front of the giant creature. Nyla wagged her long tail excitedly, and June threw the meat. Nyla caught it quickly eating it whole. June then stroked Nyla's fur, saying, "Who's my little snuffly wuffly?" The beast shot its tongue out toward June who dodged quickly. I took a step back a little anxious by the paralyzing tongue. "Whoa! Careful there." June turned back to us. "Okay, whose got something with the Avatar's scent on it."

Katara had climbed on Appa's saddle and picked up the staff Aang left behind. "I have Aang's staff." She tossed it down toward us and Zuko caught it. He handed it over to June, who held it in front of Nyla's nose. As Katara rejoined us on the ground, we all watched as Nyla circled around sniffing the air for Aang's scent. She circled a few rounds, and then dropped to the ground rubbing at her snout with her paws and whining.

"Well, what does that mean?"

June answered Zuko while she comforted Nyla, saying, "It means your friend's gone."

Toph sighed, "We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him."

"No, I mean he's gone gone. He doesn't exist."

We were all shocked by what June had said. Kale stepped forward, saying, "He can't be 'gone gone'! We just saw him yesterday!"

Sokka added, "What do you mean Aang doesn't exist? Do you mean he's... you know, dead?"

June shook her head. "Nope, we could find him if he were dead."

"Maybe the island he went on has a barrier that blocks his scent," I said, kicking at a pebble near my feet.

The group looked at me taken off guard by my words. They actually looked like they were thinking over what I'd said.

June sighed. "Ah, it's a real head scratcher. See ya." She turned and started to mount Nyla.

Toph looked to be in utter disbelief. "Helpful, real helpful."

Zuko seemed to be thinking hard over what to do. Finally he exclaimed, "Wait I have another idea. There's only one other person in this World who can help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample." He turned and headed over to Appa climbing up and onto his saddle.

June sighed heavily getting slightly annoyed. Running a hand through my hair, I knew this was a waste of time.

The sound of sniffing sounded nearby, and I glanced slightly at the giant beast I didn't like. Nyla suddenly growled out of nowhere, and I gasped when her long paralyzing tongue shot toward me very fast. Jumping to the side, I shrieked as I landed on the dirt. The tongue had barely missed me.

"Whoa! Down girl!"

My eyes shot over to June from where I lied on my side on the ground, and I saw her tugging on Nyla's reins. The beast had my smell, and she must've recognized me from back at the abbey. I'd burned her a bit, and the beast still held a grudge over it. She growled again and went to lunge her tongue at me once more.

"Nyla! No!"

June's order made Nyla stop before she snapped her tongue at me. The beast whined and hung her head ashamed to have angered her owner. Kale was by my side as this happened and helped me to my feet. Sokka had inched in front of me to block me from Nyla's almost attack.

Katara snapped. "What's wrong with your pet? She almost hit Amber!"

June pat Nyla's muzzle, saying, "Animals hold grudges too." June's eyes looked over at me. "She must've recognized your scent. She had burns for weeks after your weird purple fire attacked her."

My body ached from my fall, but I didn't show that the beast had hurt me. Standing my ground, I said, "I only did that because your _pet _was attacking first." Nyla growled at my voice again, and June pat her trying to calm her down.

"Knock it off," Zuko suddenly said, approaching us once more. He had a sandal in his hand. "There are more important things to worry about." He held the sandal up, saying, "We're going to find my Uncle."

Sokka was amazed. The conflict between Nyla and I was forgotten. "You saved your Uncle's sweaty sandal?"

Toph smiled. "I think it's kind of sweet."

Zuko held the sandal up then, putting it near Nyla's nose. Nyla caught the scent immediately, and June looked determined. She said, "Let's do this." She snapped the reins on the beast and shot forward through the forest. We all raced onto Appa quickly, surprised that she just took off when we weren't ready. Appa took flight and we followed behind Nyla as she raced through the forest for hours.

It seemed like we followed the giant beast forever until finally we started to approach familiar scenery. First the area started out as a very rocky terrain. Then a little passed midnight we reached the outer wall of Ba Sing Sei. The wall that once stood so high was now completely destroyed by the Fire Nation. Nyla circled around some ruins for a little bit, and then came to a stop. We landed beside her.

Why would Uncle return to Ba Sing Sei out of all places? What was he planning to do in such a place? The Fire Nation had already captured the city and took the residents in it prisoner. I was pretty certain Uncle had no desire to help the Fire Nation with the city, so the only reason I could think of him returning to such a place was to free it. What could one man do to free a giant city though?

We all slid off of Appa onto the rough rocky earth below. A battle appeared to have taken place where we stood. Earth was raised in different areas with scorch marks on the stone. The Earth Kingdom had tried to fight the Fire Nation who invaded, but the Fire Nation had defeated them easily.

Nyla scratched at a rock as if telling us Uncle had been where we stood. June tried to calm her anxious pet down.

Zuko sounded bewildered. "We're going to Ba Sing Se?"

June looked at all of us as she prepared to depart with Nyla. "Your Uncle's somewhere beyond the wall. Nyla's getting twitchy so he can't be too far." She prepared to leave us, but she stopped. With almost what sounded like respect, she said, "Good luck."

She pulled on Nyla's reins then and shot away from us, disappearing into the dark night.

"We'll need all the luck we can get," I said softly. Kale placed an arm around my waist to comfort me. I sighed and leaned against him enjoying his warmth.

Zuko was dismayed, saying, "It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn."

We ate some dinner which consisted of some fruit we'd managed to snatch from the beach house before we left. As we ate Toph, Suki, and Sokka tried to lighten up the mood around the circle. Sokka told us some stupid jokes, while Toph teased me about having another burping contest with her in the future. Katara snapped at the both of us, saying we should act more like women and have manners. Suki decided to get on Katara's nerves and let out a burp in the circle. The guys and Toph laughed while Katara looked annoyed.

As the laughter calmed down, I pulled my knees close to my chest thinking. Even though Roku told me not to worry about Aang, I was still very worried about him. The comet was due to come very soon, and if Aang didn't happen to show up and fight the Fire Lord, then Ozai would destroy everything.

A yawn sounded from Sokka as he stretched his arms beside me. "Well, I guess I'll try and get some sleep before dawn." He stood and looked around the circle at us. "You all should get some rest too." He grabbed Suki's hand and pulled her to her feet. They both walked over to Appa's tail and plopped down. Appa was already sound asleep, exhausted from his flight earlier.

Lying on the cold ground, Kale lied a few feet beside me. We knew if we got any closer then Zuko would drag him across the ground. The others began to fall asleep around me then. Toph made a tent out of earth and disappeared inside. Katara lied on her own little spot, her eyes already closed as she drifted. Zuko had even found a spot against Appa's body, where he slept sitting up.

As quiet passed over the camp, I sighed staring up at the stars above. Soon the sky would be lit with fire as Sozin's comet soared through the air. Kale rolled over a bit and looked through the dimly lit air toward me. There was light coming from the moon behind a cloud, so we could still see each other.

"You okay?"

His soft voice was carried through the air toward me. Nodding, I turned on my side so I was facing him too. The rocks underneath me dug into me, so I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to sleep much anyway.

"I'm nervous… There's a whole bunch of 'what ifs' going through my head at the moment. I'm just anxious to get this all over with."

Kale seemed to take in the words I spoke. Putting his hands behind his head he rolled back over a bit and looked up at the stars. "It's strange imagining this world without any fighting. It will be really weird when this war truly does end." He shut his eyes as memories suddenly came back to him. "Sometimes I wonder what this world would be like if there had never been a war in the first place."

"It's hard to imagine," I whispered, low enough so we wouldn't wake the others around us. "I'd give anything to have back all the loved ones that were cruelly taken because of this savage war."

Kale sighed. "Yeah… If I could have my mom and dad back I would in a heartbeat."

His words pained me. Kale had lost more than I had from this war. Both his mom and dad were torn from him at a very young age. I'd been lucky, because even though I was torn from my Fire Nation family, I found my Water Tribe family to care for me. I'd had a mom and a dad most of my life, and Kale was practically an orphan. He even thought his brother was dead for some years, which only made him more alone.

His head turned to look my way again, and I quickly looked away to hide how much his pain had affected me. He hated it when I worried about him.

"I guess it was meant to be this way though," Kale spoke once more. "The war took so much from me, but at the same time it gave me you. If you were never taken from your family in the Fire Nation, you and I could've never been more than just friends. In the eyes of society you would've been a princess, and I would've been just a stupid servant boy. When we got older your father would've married you off to some arrogant nobleman."

I cringed at the thought of being a princess. In all honesty I sometimes forgot that I was a princess. Princess Amber of the Fire Nation just seemed so foreign to me. At times I sometimes missed just being Kaya of the Southern Water Tribe, but settling for plain simple Amber was enough for me. The word 'Princess' at the front hurt my head, and just sounded wrong.

"What do you think will happen to the Fire Nation after the war?"

The question had been circulating in my head over the last few days, but I hadn't asked anyone. Kale thought over my question for a moment. "I'm not sure… I'm sure we'll be the ones to figure it out though. It seems that the hundred year war's going to finally end at the hands of eight kids."

"And we probably won't get any credit," I whispered.

"Probably not."

Kale and I finally settled down and started to fall asleep. To my relief sleep came to me. However it seemed I was out for only five minutes when the earth below me started to rumble. My eyes shot open and I looked over to see Toph stood alert too. "Something's coming," Toph shouted.

Getting to my feet, I saw the others were struggling to get to theirs too. Everyone looked exhausted, but they prepared to fight whatever was about to come our way. We all inched closer to one another, the benders of the group prepared to fire while the other three pulled out their swords and fists.

A large ring of fire suddenly shot around us and Appa lighting up the whole area. We were barricaded in the circle of fire and I could feel the heat as if it were consuming me.

Sokka suddenly shouted my name, and I knew exactly why. He wanted me to stop the flames. Shutting my eyes to concentrate on the heat around us, I shot my hands forward and killed the fire quickly. When the flames were dead and the air cooled, the others stepped forward ready to fight.

Four people suddenly appeared in front of us on a large pile of rubble from the destroyed wall. Through the night sky, we could still see well enough to know who the four men were. My eyes widened at the familiar faces in front of us.

Bumi suddenly beamed with delight from where he stood above us. "Well, look who's here." He wore a blue and white robe like the three other men standing beside him. The old man started to snort and chuckle crazily like he'd done so many times before.

Zuko, Suki, Kale, and Toph looked over at all of us with question probably having no clue who the crazy man was. Kale hadn't met the man even when we returned to Omashu because he stayed with me when the others went to negotiate Bumi's release.

"What's going?" Though Toph couldn't see the men completely, she could see them somewhat through the earth. "We're surrounded by old people."

My eyes focused some more as I took in the other three men with Bumi. They were wearing the same robe he wore, and they looked surprised to see us as much as we were to see them. There was Pakku, the man who trained Aang and Katara in water bending. Then stood Jeong Jeong, who Aang had once tried to learn fire bending from. Lastly there was Piandao, the man who had taught my brother Sokka his sword fighting skills.

"Not just any old people," Katara said, walking up the rocky slope to greet her old master. "These are great masters and friends of ours." She stopped in front of her old water bending master and bowed. "Pakku."

The man bowed with a smile. "It is respectful to bow to an old master…" He stood straight once more and held his arms out. "But how about a hug for your new grandfather?"

My eyes widened. Gran-Gran got married! Her and Pakku had found one another once more and got together. The thought of my grandma getting married made me fill with joy. It made Katara and Sokka elated too.

Katara embraced Pakku excitedly. "That's so exciting!"

I smiled glad to hear the good news, adding, "Yeah. You and Gran-Gran must be so happy to have found each other again."

Pakku smiled over at me. "Yes. Very! I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything."

Zuko looked over at me with question. "Gran-Gran?"

I rubbed my arm a bit. "Yeah… She's the elderly woman you roughly grabbed back at the South Pole when you were first looking for Aang."

He held his head in guilt remembering the moment. "Oh… Sorry about that."

Sokka slapped him on the shoulder. "No hard feelings!" Sokka then walked over to Pakku and hugged him playfully around the neck. "Welcome to the family Great Gramp."

"You can still just call me," he pushed Sokka off. "Pakku."

"How about Grand Pakku?"

Pakku didn't look amused by Sokka. "No."

Sokka almost looked disappointed.

Katara gestured toward Jeong Jeong next. "And this was Aang's first fire bending teacher."

Zuko walked towards him and Jeong Jeong bowed. "Jeong Jeong," he introduced himself.

Recognition came to Zuko's face. "Do I know you?"

The old man smiled. "I'd hope a student recognizes his own teacher. I was your first fire bending teacher back at the palace. After your sister went missing I left the Fire Nation to pursue other… interests."

"Oh," Zuko said. "Now I remember. Small world, huh?"

Jeong Jeong chuckled. "Yes. It is."

Sokka approached his own master then, bowing to him glad to see him. "Master Piandao."

He bowed in returned. "Hello, Sokka."

Suki gestured toward the four men. "So wait, how do _you_ all know each other?"

Bumi smirked. "All old people know each other don't you know that?" He snorted and began to laugh.

Piandao seriously answered Suki's question. "We're all part of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the divisions of the 4 nations."

Immediately I understood. This was the Order of the White Lotus. These men were from the same secret organization my Uncle was part of. I had a feeling Piandao was, but I had no clue Bumi, Pakku, and Jeong Jeong were.

Zuko guessed what I was thinking, a smile spreading on his face. "The Order of the White Lotus."

Bumi beamed. "That's the one."

Realization hit Kale. "You mean the group that helped us get into Ba Sing Sei a few months ago." He looked at the elders with amazement. "You all are part of that group?!"

Bumi winked at him. "Yep!" He popped the 'p'.

Jeong Jeong spoke again. "The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty and truth. About a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important."

Pakku spoke up, looking over at Zuko and I. "It came from a Grand Lotus, your Uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation." I beamed with delight, glad to hear Uncle held such a title. He lost his chance at being Fire Lord, and was practically thrown out of the Fire Nation for disagreeing with the war. Knowing Uncle was valued so highly among these men made me so happy for him.

"Well that's who were looking for," Toph exclaimed.

Piandao smiled at all of us. "Then we'll take you to him."

"Wait," Bumi suddenly said, inching in front of the other men and looking around with question. "Someone's missing from your group. Someone very important... Where's Momo?" At this point Bumi was mere inches from Sokka's face, and Sokka backed up a bit anxiously.

Kale answered. "He's gone. Him and Aang are both gone. We have no clue where they are."

The three men behind Bumi were disturbed by the words Kale spoke, but Bumi didn't seem fazed. "Oh well," Bumi began. "So long as they have each other I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." He turned on his heel and started to walk off. "Let's go."

The group faltered a bit, not sure what to do. The other three men gestured for us to follow them. Kale called after Appa to follow us, and the giant guy stepped behind us as we made our way over the ruins that once belonged to the large wall of Ba Sing Sei.

"So Bumi," Sokka suddenly said, catching up to the hundred some year old man. "How did you end up escaping your imprisonment in Omashu?"

Bumi beamed as he told his story. "Escape? I didn't escape, everybody else escaped! There I was, back in Omashu, waiting for just the right moment. I didn't know what or when but I knew I'd know it when I knew it."

Apparently when the eclipse happened a few weeks ago, he used the lack of fire bending to his advantage. While the Fire Nation soldiers who took over the city were defenseless, King Bumi managed to run them off with his earth bending. He fought for his city and took it back in a matter of minutes. For such an old man he really could move. His story fascinated me. If he could take back such a city all by himself, then there was no doubt in my mind we could win this war.

The old geezer had just restored my hope.

Suki was amazed. "Wow, you took back your whole city all by yourself."

He nodded, and then his eyes looked at us with knowing. "So what about you guys? Did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse?"

Zuko, Sokka, Kale, and myself shared a look as if we weren't sure if we should say or not. Finally Zuko said, "Nah."

Sokka shook his head. "No, not really."

Kale shrugged. "Same old, same old."

I sighed. "Just a boring day."

The elders looked at all of us knowing the truth even though we hadn't said it. Sokka and Zuko dropped their gaze with guilt, while Kale looked up at the sky trying not to show his lie. Running a hand through my hair, I wondered why we weren't telling these men about that day. They probably already knew anyway. Seemed Zuko and Sokka wanted to keep it on the down low though, so I kept my mouth shut.

We continued to make our way toward the inner wall of Ba Sing Sei then. I had a feeling the inner wall was just as damaged as the outer wall. While the group followed in suit behind Bumi, Piandao, and Pakku, I stared at the ruins around me with sad eyes. There was rubble and burned earth all around. It seemed the Fire Nation had been very determined the day they took over Ba Sing Sei.

My thoughts were so consumed by the sad sight before me, I hadn't noticed Zuko slow so he could walk beside me. "You really think Uncle's with these men?"

Crossing my arms over my chest, I answered, "I trust these men. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't lie about something like this? Besides, that stupid tracking animal followed Uncle's scent here, and obviously the creature is pretty good at what it does."

Zuko cringed a bit at my hostility toward June's stupid pet. "It wasn't good enough to find Aang though."

"He'll be fine," I reassured. "That kid's probably having a better night's sleep than we are." Though I said the words, I only said them to try and ease my own worries. There was no telling what Aang was doing or facing at the moment.

Eventually we ascended up a rocky slope. The inner wall of Ba Sing Sei grew closer as we inched near a campsite full of different colored tents. The camp was well hidden by large boulders jutting out around it. If the Fire Nation looked this way, it would be hard to spot the camp through the rocky barrier.

"Well, here we are," Bumi said. "Welcome to old people camp." Bumi and the three other men walked us into the campsite. It was silent as members of the White Lotus slept soundly in their tents. It was still night, and I knew the others were ready to get some sleep. Toph seemed exhausted as she leaned a bit into Sokka who steadied her. Suki yawned and Katara looked ready to collapse. Kale sighed, rubbing his face to wake himself up.

Zuko was the only one who seemed to be wide awake. He became anxious at the thought of seeing Iroh. "Where… where is he?"

Piandao pointed at a large tent toward the end of camp. The tent was larger than the rest to show Uncle's authority. Piandao answered, "Your Uncle's in there, Prince Zuko."

While Zuko headed over to see Uncle, I hesitated not sure if I should follow. I was excited to see Uncle more than anything, but I also knew Zuko needed some time alone with him. While Zuko walked off to go see Uncle, Pakku placed a hand on both Kale and Sokka's shoulders. "Why don't you all get some sleep? You'll need your strength tomorrow."

Jeong Jeong led Suki and Toph to one tent, while Bumi led Sokka and Kale to another. Looking over toward Uncle's tent, I saw Zuko sitting in front of the tent flap not sure what to do. Taking a step forward, I was suddenly stopped by Katara. She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. "I'll go talk to him," she said. "You get some sleep. You look like you need it."

Katara walked off to go make sure Zuko was okay. With a heavy sigh, I turned and headed over to the tent Toph and Suki were asleep in.

"_Amber,"_ a voice suddenly called.

The sound of the voice made me jump. It had been so sudden, and seemed to come from out of nowhere. Freezing mid step, I looked around for the owner. No one was there, and I had a feeling I wasn't going crazy. Trying to push the voice away, I took a step but then stopped once more when I heard it again.

"_Amber. I need to talk to you."_

The voice sounded very familiar, and after trying to listen harder I knew exactly who it was. Aang! Aang needed to talk to me from where he was. Where ever he was. Looking at the tent flap, I debated what I should do. Looking around, I saw Katara had just reached Zuko to comfort him and there was no one else around me. If Aang needed to talk to me, then I had to think fast.

Going inside the tent, I saw Suki, and Toph were already sound asleep on some matts that had been provided for them. There were two other matts in the room, and I assumed those were for Katara and I.

Lying down on one of the mats, I turned away from the others and faced the tent wall. I didn't want them to know my spirit wasn't in my body, so I hoped if it looked like I was asleep they wouldn't notice. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on where Aang's voice had been.

"_Amber… Please hear me!" _

Aang's voice was faint but it was enough. His spirit was calling out to me, and I managed to pull my spirit from my own body and follow it. Leaving my body, I pictured where Aang might be with all my ability. To my utter relief, I managed to locate Aang's spirit as he called out to me once more. "Amber!" Getting a lock on his location, my spirit followed his voice. Shutting my eyes, I opened them only a second later to find I was in a very strange place.

Around me were trees, plants, and the ground below was hard and somewhat curved. It was dark from the night sky that still lingered, but I could see just enough as I made my way through the strange forest like area. Bird's sounded around me, and I also heard other creatures that I prayed would stay where they were. Though they probably couldn't hurt me since I was in spirit form, I had no desire to see them.

"Aang!" My spirit called, having no clue where he was in this strange forest.

"Amber!" The voice that called to me was near, and I followed it quickly. Rushing across the ground, I noticed that the ground was almost like stone… but then again it wasn't stone. It was hard to explain, but by looking at it the first thing I thought of was a shell. A moss covered shell.

"Amber!" Aang's voice made me jump, and looking over I saw the young air bender sitting on the ground cross legged. He was staring right at me with a grin. Momo sat beside him, and the lemur being pat by Aang was an indicator that Aang was in his human form talking to me. "I'm so glad you heard me! I feel like I've been calling you for hours." He stood and stepped forward. Momo stayed where he was, and I had a feeling he couldn't see me. Only Aang could.

"I've been worried sick," I said. "Where are you Aang?"

He sighed heavily, crossing his arms and looking down at his feet with such loss. "I have no clue. I don't even remember leaving Ember Island. I asked Roku and even he isn't entirely sure. It's like I'm on some island in the middle of nowhere that pulled me to it."

So the island had a mind of its own and was able to lure Aang to it.

Pushing aside the fact that we both had no clue where we were, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Aang hugging him with relief. "I'm glad you're okay. I was worried sick." Though my spirit passed through him a bit, I didn't care. Pulling away, I saw Aang beaming glad to see me too. He may or may not have felt my hug. Either way, he was glad to see me.

"So what's going on," he began. "Are you all still on Ember Island?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "We left that place. Zuko brought us to June, the one with that tongue paralyzing creature we met a few months ago. The creature searched for your sent but found nothing. It's almost like this island is hiding you."

Aang looked frustrated by this news. "So the island makes me no longer exist?"

Shrugging, I looked around us once more. "Guess this place isn't ready for you to leave yet."

"So if you didn't find me, then did you guys return to Ember Island?"

"No. June's pet led us to my Uncle. Were back at Ba Sing Sei at the moment, thinking about what we should do. We found Bumi who is part of some secret White Lotus organization. Pakku, Piandao, and Jeong Jeong are with us too."

Aang looked relieved. "Good. I'm glad to hear you're all okay." He then paused for a moment. "If you're thinking about a plan for tomorrow, then I have a suggestion." He saw he had my attention and spoke again. "The most important thing right now is to stop that airship fleet from destroying the Earth Kingdom. If you can convince the others to stop that fleet, I can take care of the Fire Lord no problem."

"So you know how you're going to defeat him?"

He shook his head. "I'm still working on that, but I'm getting close. I've been seeking advice from my past lives. I still have time to figure out something, but no matter what I will be there to fight the Fire Lord. I don't want to kill him, but I might have to if I don't find another way." He said the last part with regret, but he also seemed to be coming to the conclusion that he had no other choice.

"No matter what you choose," I began. "You're not alone. We're right behind you."

"Thanks Amber," Aang said with a small smile on his face. A thought struck him then. "Oh, I wanted to apologize before for snapping at you. You just wanted to help, and I was being a jerk."

I waved him off. "You're just looking out for me. You were right to tell me no. If I faced my father, I'd probably kill him instead of spare him. My anger would probably get the better of me."

Aang nodded. "I'll make sure he gets what he deserves." He met my eyes. His gaze was serious. "That man will pay for what he did to you."

"Thanks," I said softly. Placing a transparent hand on his shoulder, I begged, "Be careful Aang."

He placed his hand over mine, and for a second I could almost feel his warmth. "You too. Take care of the others. I'll see you soon. Try not to get burned again."

"Me?! Get burned?! I'm offended," I joked, placing a hand over my chest.

He rolled his eyes but the corner of his lip turned up a bit. "Good luck, Amber. I'll see you soon."

Taking a step back, I nodded. "Very soon."

I left Aang then, returning to my body back at the camp I'd left it in. When I returned and regained control, I lied on the ground for a few minutes listening to Toph, Suki, and Katara breathe as they slept soundly. Soon sleep took me over and I drifted into a dreamless slumber.

When I woke up a few hours later, it was because Kale was shaking my shoulder. "Hey sleepy head," Kale said. "Pakku made us some breakfast. The others are already awake."

Opening my eyes slowly, the first thing that came to my mind wasn't my night adventure a few hours before. Instead, I asked, "Did Zuko settle things with Uncle?"

He smiled. "Yeah. They were talking things over this morning. Your Uncle's excited to see you." He left me then to get up and ready for the day. After managing to comb my fingers through my hair and look halfway decent, I made my way out of the tent. The others were all seated around a campfire eating some fruit and meat. Kale had rejoined them, plopping in between Sokka and Toph. Katara, Sukki, and Zuko were seated around the campfire also, eating their food.

"There's my favorite niece," Iroh suddenly said.

His voice startled me, but when I turned my head and saw him coming I was relieved. Uncle looked well, his gray hair done up in a topknot and his skin healthier than I last saw him. He looked more like himself than how I saw him in the cold dark cell almost a month earlier. He wore the same blue and white robe the other men at the camp wore.

He walked over to me, and I ran forward to meet him halfway. "Uncle!" I rushed into his arms which were already outstretched toward me. He hugged me to him just as happy to see me as I was to see him. "I'm so glad you escaped that awful prison."

"It wasn't that difficult," Iroh said. "The guards didn't put up much of a fight." He pulled away a bit, and his hand pressed on my shoulder in a fatherly way. "I'm glad to see you're well. The others caught me up on everything I missed. I'm so proud of all the things you've done." He leaned forward to whisper a bit. "Also, very impressing story about the dragons."

I grimaced a bit. "Yeah… That trip wasn't the greatest though…"

He chuckled. "So I hear." He led me over to the others then, and I took my spot between Kale and Toph. Uncle sat down across from Zuko as he began to chow down on his meal. Zuko handed me some breakfast and I said a soft thanks. Silence fell over the group then as they enjoyed their breakfast. I stared at my food honestly not very hungry.

Toph sighed. "So what's the plan?"

"It's pretty obvious," Sokka said. "With Aang out of the way, we'll have to defeat the Fire Lord on our own."

"No. It's too risky," Zuko interjected. "My father is a powerful man. He'll take us down in a matter of seconds, especially with the comet at his use." His head turned to Iroh. "Uncle, you're the only person other than the Avatar who can possibly defeat the Father Lord." He had made a mistake, and the whole group caught on. Uncle even raised a brow.

"You mean the Fire Lord," Toph corrected.

Zuko snapped, "That's what I said."

She shrugged and went back to eating.

Iroh seemed to be thinking it over. As he did Zuko said, "We need you to come with us."

He shook his head. "No, Zuko. It won't turn out well."

"You can beat him and we'll be there to help," Zuko encouraged. "Plus we have the spirit of fire, so that will be good back up!" I cringed a bit when he brought me up.

Iroh glanced over at me briefly, and then turned back to Zuko. "Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don't know that I could. It will be the wrong way to end the war. History would see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Which will be today," I added, taking a bite of my food. I decided if I was going to fight I'd need my strength. The group looked over at me with question.

Sokka looked suspicious. "You know something?"

Sighing, I continued, "I spoke to Aang last night. He said that he'll fight the Fire Lord today."

"What?!" Katara's eyes widened. "Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

"I was getting around to it."

Kale spoke up. "Well what did he say exactly?"

"He said that while he faces the Fire Lord, he needs the rest of us to help take out the air ship fleet."

Sokka sighed. "Then I guess that's what we need to do."

"So when the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord," Zuko began, looking at Iroh once more, "then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?"

Iroh shook his head. "No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko."

The whole group looked bewildered by Iroh's words. Zuko was shocked. After a moment, he hung his head in disbelief. "Unquestionable honor? But I've made so many mistakes."

"Yes, you have. You struggled, you suffered but you have always followed your own path, you restored your own honor. And only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation."

Zuko looked down as he pondered over Iroh's words.

"You know," Kale said. "Fire Lord Zuko does have a cool ring to it." Zuko was surprised by the compliment, and so was I.

The corner of Zuko's mouth pulled up into a smile. He turned back to Iroh with sudden determination. "I'll try, Uncle."

"Are we sure," Toph suddenly said, "Aang really is coming back?"

"Sozin's Comet is arriving and our destinies are upon us," Iroh began. "Aang will face the Fire Lord. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Sei. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation so the Earth Kingdom can be free again."

Suki exclaimed, "That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus!"

"Yes," Iroh answered. He looked over at Zuko once more. "Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order. But Azula will be there, waiting for you."

Zuko frowned briefly. However he looked confident when he spoke. "I can handle Azula."

"Not alone," Iroh said. "You'll need help."

"You're right," Zuko said. His eyes shot over to my water tribe sister. "Katara, how would you like to help me put Azula in her place?"

My sister seemed to like this idea. "It would be my pleasure."

Put her in her place? What was that supposed to mean? My mouth opened to say something, but I was interrupted.

"What about us?" Sokka asked. "What's our destiny today?"

My uncle had a strange glint to his eye. "What do you think it is?"

"I think that..." Sokka began, thinking it over. "…we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet."

"And that means when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us," Toph said.

The group agreed with what she said. As they agreed, I placed my half eaten bowl aside. "I'm going with you, Zuko."

My words took the others off guard. Zuko seemed to want to argue. I cut him off.

"I know what my destiny is today. Today I am going to fix this family once and for all."

"And how will you do that?" Sokka asked. "The chick's crazy Amber! She'll fry you. You won't be able to talk sense to her because you'll be burned to a crisp."

"Or electrocuted," Kale added.

Running a hand through my long hair, I sighed heavily. "I know what I'm doing." Looking around the campfire, I became confident. "Azula is hurting. She is hurting terribly. She's lived her whole life blinded by earning father's love. She feels alone and scared right now. She needs to know that others care and love her."

"Even so, one little word that ticks her off will leave you dead," Katara snapped.

"She won't be able to kill me," I said, crossing my arms.

"She already killed you once," Sokka snapped.

Standing, I held my ground. "Azula won't hurt me," I stated, looking at everyone determined. "Because as soon as I get the chance, I'm taking her bending away. She won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Next chapter is the big fight scene! Let me know how you all liked this chapter and thanks for reading. Also thanks for your patience. **


	23. The Final Battle Part 1

**A/N: So here's the next chapter. I was wondering how to make this chapter really cool, so I decided to have two points of view. Kale will tell his side of the story, and Amber will tell hers. I thought Kale deserved a part in the battle as much as Amber. **

**Also thank you so much for your constant reviews and support. You all have gotten me this far. **

**Enjoy! =)**

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><p><strong>Kale POV<strong>

The group was preparing for our departure, ready to end this war once and for all. My whole life all I'd ever known was battle. When your father is a General in the Fire Lord's army, you are taught that fighting for your nation is one of the most honorable things you could do. My father died for his honor, causing my brother and I to become orphans. My brother then decided to seek his own honor by fighting for the Fire Lord, while I got thrown as a servant boy in the palace. War had torn my family apart. It was something I'd grown resentful toward.

How would the world feel when this war ended in a few hours?

Sharpening my sword with a hard stone I'd managed to acquire, I saw Amber walk toward me with more confidence than I'd seen in her in months. She plopped down beside me, and I noticed she held something in her grasp.

"I'm sorry for not letting you come with me..." She seemed to be guilty about earlier. Stopping the stone as I went to brush it against my blade once more, I placed both the stone and my sword down beside me.

Right as soon as Amber announced to the group a few hours ago she was going with Zuko, I'd immediately told the group I would go with her. However, Sokka told me that they would need my help with the air fleet and asked me to change my mind. When I asked Amber what she thought I should do, she told me she wished for me to go with Sokka and the others. She didn't want Azula to hurt me. I could see where she was coming from. Since I could only fight with a sword, I probably wouldn't be much help in a fight against a powerful fire bender. It was better to take out machines than fire.

Smiling over at her, I said, "It's the right thing to do."

Taking her hand in my own. My warmth seemed to comfort her, because her tense arm relaxed a bit. "I'd probably hide behind a pillar the whole time anyway. At least with the air fleet I'll be able to knock some bad guys around with my sword."

She leaned against me suddenly. Her head rested on my shoulder and her hand tightened around my own. "I hate being separated again, but I know we have to."

Pulling from her hand, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to me. Her warmth gave me comfort. "It won't be forever," I promised. "Before you know it we'll be reunited, and this war will finally be over."

"After a hundred years," she whispered, almost unable to believe a world of peace could exist. "It feels like just yesterday I was Kaya, a girl with no memory except the life she lived at the South Pole."

"Yeah," I responded. "It feels like just yesterday I was a worthless invisible tea server with no family."

"Funny how lives can change so drastically," she commented.

Yeah… very funny…

"Amber," I said softly, pressing my face into her soft hair. "Please promise me you'll be careful today?"

She nodded, and I knew she had because her head moved up and down. "You promise me you'll be careful too?"

I smiled. "Of course. I'll probably be keeping Sokka out of trouble the whole time anyway."

She chuckled softly. "Just don't let him follow his instincts too much."

"Now that would end in disaster," I joked.

She pulled away from me then and turned so she was facing me. Her hand lifted and pressed to my cheek. "I'm really glad I found you, Kale. You've given me so much strength."

Placing my hand over hers, I shut my eyes enjoying her touch more than anything.

"I love you so much," she said.

Pulling her hand from my face, I kissed her knuckles and she blushed. Her blush always made me smile. Her blush constantly reminded me that even though she was the Spirit of Fire, she was still human. Her heart was so pure. "I love you more than anything," I promised.

Dropping her hand, I placed my hand on the back of her head and pulled her to me. Our lips met and we pressed into one another not wanting to let go. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I wrapped my other arm around her waist. The battle today would separate us, but our hearts would stay together.

When we pulled apart we were both breathless. Resting my forehead against hers, I said, "Don't miss me too much."

"Miss you? Never," she joked. Amber pulled away from me, her gold eyes shining as she finally presented me what she had been holding in her hand. It was her Fire Nation bracelet, something she treasured more than anything. "Here," she said, placing the cool metal band in my hand. "Keep this with you. That way you have a part of me even if I'm not with you physically."

Staring at the golden bracelet, I was shocked. "But what about Roku? Without it you won't be able to speak to him directly."

She waved off my question. "Everything I need to know is in me. Roku got me this far, but now I need to finish this on my own."

Nodding, I placed the bracelet in my pocket for safe keeping.

"Kale… Amber," Katara suddenly said, and we both looked over to see Amber's sister walking toward us. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to start heading out."

Standing, I picked up my sword and placed it in my belt sheath. "Looks like it's time." Katara had turned and headed across camp to where the others were waiting.

Amber stood beside me, her arms crossed as she looked toward the dirt thinking about what I'd said. "This is it… The moment we've been waiting for." She met my eyes, and I saw determination. "Let's end this war once and for all."

I nodded. "After a hundred years, it's about time this world is brought into a new light."

We both headed through camp then, walking toward the center where members of the White Lotus had gathered. It was still morning, so the sun had yet to reach the tip of the sky. Appa was prepared for flight, Katara and Zuko throwing some supplies on his saddle. There was also another creature in the area. It was a green giant eel like beast with powerful legs of a hound.

"Ah. There you are," Iroh suddenly said. The old man headed over and stopped in front of us. "You two be careful today. It may be important to end this war, but the _most _important thing is making it out of this alive."

Nodding, I clutched the hilt of my sword with determination. "That goes for you too, Iroh. Be careful today."

Iroh smiled kindly, "I'm always careful."

Amber suddenly rushed into his arms to give him one last hug before we parted. "I love you Uncle. Thanks for everything."

He hugged her back. "I love you too. Take care of Zuko for me. I'll see you two very soon."

She nodded to let him know she would.

Iroh pulled from Amber then and looked directly at me. With a look of great kindness, he said, "No one will say this to you today Kale, so I'll have the honor to do so." He stepped over to me and placed a fatherly hand on my shoulder. "Your father was a strong and mighty general. I knew him well during many battles we'd fought together. Though he is not here today, I can see his fighting spirit inside you. You have become a very strong man, and your father would be proud."

Hanging my head, I cringed a bit at the thought of my father. He'd be furious with me if he knew I was betraying my own nation. "I'm nothing like my father. If he were here today he'd turn his back on me."

Iroh's eyes were serious as he continued. "I know you think your father would disapprove of your choices Kale, but I personally knew the man. He never wanted this life for you. He never wanted you or your brother to have any part in this war. He personally asked me to convince Azulon to allow you both to be servants. He wanted you away from the fighting and bloodshed. I tried to convince my father but he would only accept you as a servant. He claimed Kuro was old enough to be a soldier, and that's why you two were separated. If your father were alive, he would've never allowed that to happen."

Iroh had known my father? Iroh must've fought alongside him to have known him so well. Amber stood to the side, listening with amazement at what Iroh was telling me.

Iroh finally released my shoulder but continued to speak. "Your father would be very proud of the choices you've made today. Since he is not here to say it, then I will. I am proud of you Kale."

I was taken off guard by Iroh's words. It felt really good to know someone was proud of me. It felt like a weight was pulled off my shoulder that a man of my own nation was proud of my actions. Iroh was betraying his nation, just as much as I was. Seeing the determination and courage through him gave me the same determination and courage.

I bowed slightly to Iroh in thanks. "Thank you, Iroh. That means a lot."

"Sorry to interrupt," Sokka suddenly said, walking over to us. "But we need to head out."

Iroh smiled at Amber, Sokka, and I. "You all will do wonderful things today. This world will never forget your story."

We left Iroh then and headed over to the others. The giant Eel Hound was ready for departure, and already Toph and Suki were mounted on it.

Sokka's sword master Piandao approached us, and spoke directly to Sokka. "Nothing runs faster over land or swims quicker than a giant Eel Hound." He pulled a scroll out of his robe sleeve and handed it to Sokka who quickly analyzed it. "The airship base is on a small island just off the Earth Kingdom shore. You should be able to intercept the fleet within a day's journey." Sokka lowered the scroll and rolled it back up.

He bowed with respect. "Thank you, master." Then he rushed forward and hugged Piandao which took him off guard. I wondered if hugging your master was allowed, but Piandao didn't seem to mind. He lowered his arm to Sokka's shoulder reassuringly. They pulled apart a moment later.

Piandao turned to me then. "Sokka tells me you're quite the swordsman yourself. I'm sure you will do this world proud young man."

Bowing, I thanked him.

"Amber! We have to go," Katara called suddenly.

Amber still stood beside me, her arms crossed and her head bent a little. She turned to Sokka who was placing the map in the belt he wore at his waist.

Her voice came out of her, and I heard in it she was pained to be parted from Sokka. "Be careful Sokka. If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself."

He rolled his eyes and stepped over to her, pulling her into a hug. He pressed his face into her hair, holding her tightly. "I'd be more worried about you, sis. You're the one facing a crazy fire bender."

"She's not crazy," she said softly. "She's just lost."

Sokka sighed heavily. "Whatever you say, Amber." He pulled back from her and placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. "Keep an eye on Katara for me."

She smiled. "Only as long as you keep an eye on Kale for me."

"Hey," I said, speaking up. "I don't need a babysitter."

Sokka walked over to me and pulled me into a headlock. I winced a bit trying to shove him off. "Don't worry about this freak. He's in good hands."

Shoving him off, I rubbed my neck which ached a bit. Amber smiled, and I could tell she was trying to hold in laughter. She turned back to me and threw her arms around me one last time. "Bye Kale."

Hugging her back tightly, I didn't want to let her go but I knew we had to. "Bye Love."

She pulled back blushing beat red. Suddenly Zuko walked over and grabbed Amber by the shoulder dragging her away. "Sorry to break up you lovebirds, but we have to go," he said. I guess we were taking too long. Amber whined but Zuko ignored her. Iroh followed them to say his goodbyes to Zuko.

Sokka sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I really hope she knows what she's doing."

I smiled, watching as her and Zuko climbed up on Appa's saddle. She got in and sat beside Katara. Her eyes looked over at me, and she smiled back. "She always does."

We climbed up on the Eel Hound then, Sokka taking the front while I took behind Toph in case she started to fall. Suki sat behind Sokka, and as soon as he took his place she wrapped her arms around his waist. My eyes shot back to Amber, who was listening to Iroh as he spoke to them about something.

"Alright, Tea Bag… If I fall I'm pounding your face in the dirt," Toph threatened suddenly. I turned my attention back to her.

"Maybe I'll just let you fall then," I joked. She lunged her elbow back at me and socked me in my stomach. I grunted and rubbed the spot, glaring at the back of her head. "I was kidding Toph."

"I know," she said, and I had a strong feeling she was smirking.

Sokka grabbed onto the reins then, looking back at us with determination. "You all ready?"

"Yep," Suki said.

"Let's go pound some faces," Toph added.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed the golden bracelet with confidence. "It's time to put the Fire Nation in its place."

Sokka flicked the reins and the Eel Hound shot forward toward our battle. As we raced away from the wall of Ba Sing Sei, I heard Appa groan as he took off toward the sky.

**Amber POV**

Sitting on Appa's saddle, I looked away from Kale knowing that it had to be this way. He had his own destiny in this war, and I had mine.

Katara placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me, and I shot her a grateful look pressing my hand on her own.

Zuko spoke down to Iroh suddenly, and Katara and I gave the conversation our attention. "So if I'm going to be Fire Lord after the war is over, what are you going to do?"

"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se," Iroh began, pulling out a white lotus tile from his belt. "I'm going to re-conquer my tea shop and I'm going to play Pai Sho everyday." He flipped the coin in the air and caught it easily.

Katara nodded down at Iroh. "Goodbye Iroh."

He nodded back at her. "Goodbye, everyone." He looked directly at Zuko when he spoke again. "Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."

The Eel Hound took off suddenly, carrying Kale, Sokka, Toph, and Suki away. Zuko followed their lead and held onto Appa's reins. "Yip yip!" he shouted. The giant guy's tail smashed against the earth and we shot up toward the sky. The members of the White Lotus had gathered to see us depart, and we saw them all wave at us wishing us luck. Soon we were high in the sky, and I lost sight of the camp as well as the Eel Hound.

"No turning back now," I said.

Appa seemed to fly for a good two hours, which resulted in two long hours of silence. Zuko seemed to be staring off into space, while Katara lied back and seemed to be taking a nap. Lighting a flame in my hand, I stared at the vast array of colors that danced on my palm.

"Hey Amber," Zuko suddenly said. His voice made me jump. It was the first time any of us had spoken in the long two hours.

Looking over at him and cutting off my flame, I saw he was turned away from me staring at the clouds in front of him. He couldn't see that I had my attention on him, so I asked him what was up.

"This is going to be a lot to ask, and I want you to know that you do have a choice…." He hung his head as he spoke. "When I take my place as Fire Lord today I'll be alone. We have no clue what Azula will do after today, and Uncle already said he was staying in Ba Sing Sei. It feels like I'm about to become Fire Lord all by myself."

I frowned. "You won't be by yourself Zuko. The others and I will be there to help you."

Zuko sighed. "Yeah… To start with. Then you'll all return to the South Pole or Earth Kingdom, or wherever you're going."

My brows furrowed a bit. "What are you trying to ask me?"

He looked back at me almost desperate. "I was wondering if maybe… well…" he looked back away suddenly ashamed to ask me. His voice softened some as he spoke on. "I was wondering if you'd live at the palace with me... Return to being Princess Amber of the Fire Nation and all. I mean of course Kale can stay, and you can visit the South Pole whenever you like, but-"

I cut him off. "Okay, Zuko."

"Please Amber, I-" he stopped when he realized what I had spoken. He turned so his eyes could meet my own. "What?"

"I'll stay at the palace with you... If you promise that I can visit the South Pole whenever I please, and that Kale can live at the palace with us, then I'll agree."

Crossing my arms, I stared over at Katara who was still asleep. It would be weird not living with my Water Tribe family, but at the moment Zuko had no one. When he took his place as Fire Lord, he'd be alone with no one to support him. Azula would be there, but there was no telling how Azula would act after tonight.

"Really… You'd do that?" Zuko sounded like he wasn't sure if he should believe it or not. There were many times in the past when I'd been with him, snuck away in the blink of an eye, and ran back to my Water Tribe family.

He probably didn't believe me.

Nodding, I answered, "It's not like I'm really needed anymore at the Water Tribe. Once the war is over the village won't have much to fear. Gran-Gran's married to Pakku now, so she has someone to be with her. My father Hakoda will understand, and I'm sure Sokka and Katara will accept it. Once I tell them it's what I want to do, then they'll be fine with my decision." My eyes looked at Zuko, and I was very serious about what I was saying. "I just have a few conditions if I _am_ going to live at the palace. You'll be Fire Lord, so you can make them possible with the snap of your fingers."

Zuko nodded, ready to listen.

"First, Kale gets his own room and will be treated as family, not a servant." Zuko rolled his muttering something under his breath. I continued talking, ignoring him. "Also, I want you to give Kuro anything he wants."

Zuko was taken off guard. "Kuro?"

"He's Kale's brother. He'd been in hiding up until a few weeks ago. He's lost pretty much his whole family and career because of the Fire Lord." Zuko winced a bit, visualizing it in his head. He nodded to let me know he promised.

"There's one more condition," I said softly. "I don't want anyone to refer to me as Princess Amber. Even if I'm royalty, I don't want the title. All I want is to be simple plain me."

Zuko sighed. "Is that all?"

Thinking about it, I nodded. "Yep. That about does it."

A moment passed, before Zuko spoke once more. "Thanks Amber… This means a lot."

"You're my brother," I said softly. "Family sticks together."

Silence fell over us again as we continued to soar through the air.

The sun was just a little past the center in the sky when Katara woke up. She yawned and ran a hand through her hair. When she saw Zuko and I were still awake, she asked how long we'd been flying for. I told her a few hours, and she nodded staring at the clouds.

Eventually she stepped over to Zuko and sat beside him at the reins. She looked over at him, saying, "Zuko, don't worry, we can take Azula."

"I'm not worried about her. I know we all can handle Azula. I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my Father? What if he loses?"

I spoke up, running a hand through my highlights. "He won't lose. Aang promised me he'd stop Ozai, and he never breaks his promises."

Katara looked over at me. We shared a smile, both of us knowing Aang would surely pull through in the end.

A very strong source of heat suddenly filled the air around me. At the sudden source I gasped in surprise. Looking through the air I saw in the distance the comet had appeared. Sozin's comet appeared in the sky, lighting it with almost a red glow.

Zuko felt the sudden energy coursing through his veins. "It's here."

My only response was, "Yep."

**Kale POV**

The Eel Hound swam across the massive ocean in a sort of zigzag motion. If I had motion sickness it would've definitely had me keeling over puking my guts out. My arm had wrapped around Toph's waist to keep her from falling halfway along the trip. She would slide multiple times off of the fast giant beast, and I barely managed to catch her one time. Finally I resulted to just holding her the whole way. She complained to start out with, but she realized it was either my hold or her falling.

The comet started to become visible in the sky as the Eel Hound swam through the water. It warmed the air and almost seemed to light the whole sky with fire. I wondered if Amber could see it too.

"It's weird to say," Suki suddenly spoke up. "But the comet actually looks beautiful."

Toph hung her head. "Too bad the Fire Lord is about to use it to destroy the World."

"He's a monster. His plans didn't really surprise me," I muttered.

Toph spoke again. "I can't believe Amber's related to that man. He seems so evil, and she's so… good."

"Amber and Zuko both got their hearts from Ursa. She was one of the kindest people I knew at the palace other than Amber. She'd sneak me food and toys when I was younger. She'd comfort me when I was sad over Amber's disappearance. She was a mother to me whenever she could be. When Ursa went missing I felt like I'd lost my mom all over again."

Sokka asked, "Did you tell Amber about that?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. Amber didn't get to know her mom. I didn't want to make her feel bad that I grew up with Ursa and she hadn't."

Suki added, "Amber's been through a lot."

"But Princess is definitely a fighter," Toph said.

We all agreed with her.

A good ten minutes passed until finally Sokka pointed at something. "There! That's where the fleets taking off." Staring toward the direction he was pointing, I saw in the distance a large rocky island. We'd made it.

Another ten minutes past until finally we reached the rocky shore. Leaving the Eel Hound on shore, we all raced across the rocky earth toward the direction we hoped to find the airbase. The earth slopped uphill for a bit as we rounded rocky mounds and headed toward a high cliff. When we reached the edge of the cliff, we were all horrified by what we saw. Of course Toph didn't find out until Sokka announced our horror.

"We're too late! The fleet's already taking off!"

Sokka's voice traveled through my ears as I watched the massive air ships take off into the air. They were huge, and there had to be ten of them at the most. The ships were flying in a sort of 'V' formation, and at the very from was the biggest one of them all. The air ship at the front of the fleet had gold trimming around it. The side of the ship had a large insignia of a phoenix on it.

"Then we're taking off too. Where's the closest airship?"

What was Toph talking about? We didn't have Appa or an airship…

"It's right…"

Sokka was cut off as Toph stamped her foot in the dirt. The earth below us shot up flinging the four of us through the air in an angle toward the nearest ship. On instinct Sokka, Suki, and I screamed as we imagined falling from the air to our death. With nothing but pure luck, we landed on the metal catwalk of the airship. Sokka and I gathered ourselves quickly, then caught Toph as she started to fall over the metal rail to her death. She gasped, but we managed to yank her back. All four of us fell back against the metal rail of the catwalk, utterly relieved to still be alive.

"Next time a warning would be nice," I snapped.

Toph tried to catch her breath as she joked, "Sure. I'll remember that Teabag."

Sokka looked around us for the next direction we needed to go. "We need to get to the control room and take over the ship."

My eyes searched around too, and I spotted what we needed. Pointing quickly, I shouted over the ships motor and the wind, "Over there! I see a ladder."

The others noticed the ladder I was pointing at. There were metal bars placed on the curved side of the large balloon, and they led all the way to the top of the airship. The top was where we'd have the best access to the control room.

"Great… I feel blind already. Now you're making me climb a ladder," Toph whined.

Suki grabbed Toph's arm. "Come on. We'll make sure you don't fall."

We raced across the narrow metal catwalk to the ladder near us. Sokka went first, Toph following behind, Suki at her heel, and then I went. We rushed as swiftly as we could up the ladder, though Toph faltered a few times having trouble seeing her next step.

"Hang in there Toph. You're almost there," I promised.

We weren't even halfway, but she didn't need to know that. It must've given her hope though, because she began to climb faster. My eyes stayed on the ladder above me, because honestly if I looked down I'd probably be sick. I wasn't afraid of heights, but the possibility of falling to my death did cause fear.

Eventually we reached the top of the airship and Sokka took Toph's hand. He led her over to a circular steel door that led inside the airship. Suki and I quickly worked together to pull the latch, and the door opened with a loud squeak. Sokka made me go down first, and so I did. Sliding down another ladder, I landed on a metal bridge that was almost hanging inside the hallow balloon.

A shout sounded behind me suddenly, and I yanked my sword out of its sheath turning to the intruder. A soldier, whose face was covered by a helmet, ran at me with his spear pointed toward my heart. With agility I darted under his spear and smashed my body into him. We both fell to the hard metal floor, and the soldier lost his helmet in the process. The helmet slid off the hanging bridge falling off and disappearing down below. The man I fought seemed to be early forties and was strong. I lunged my sword down at him, and he used the wood of his spear to block my attack. My sword got stuck for a moment in the wood, but I managed to pull it out. When it was free from the cut spear, I threw the hilt of my blade down smashing it into the man's head. He fell unconscious on impact.

"Kale! Great work!"

Getting to my feet, I sheathed my sword catching my breath. Turning to the others who were on the bridge also, I said to Sokka with a smirk, "It was nothing."

"Come on," Toph said. "Let's get this over with."

We raced across the bridge of the airship, went into a small narrow hall, and finally reached a steel door. Suki and I got on one side of the door, while Sokka got on the other. We were going in for a sneak attack, and my hand reached for my blade once again.

Toph completely ignore our plans though, walking straight past us over to the door. She knocked on it, almost making a musical rhythm. On the last beat, she pressed her hand against the metal and crashed the door open. It fell to the ground and Toph dropped onto it. Using the metal, she wrapped herself inside it creating a metal bodysuit. The four men in the room fired hot blasts at her, but she was unaffected through her shield.

While Toph fought off the men as much as she could with her bending, the rest of us charged forward to help. Sokka and Suki worked on taking down two of the men, while I fought the other. Toph was busy with the captain, and she seemed to be winning.

The Fire Bender I happened to be fighting shot a blast of hot fire at me. Dodging the blast, I sliced my sword at the man's leg and he fell to the hard floor with a grunt. His hands went to his wound quickly as it stung from my hit. Not being a killer, bent down grabbing the man's head ready to knock him unconscious.

He stared at me with horror in his gold eyes. "You- you're Fire Nation! You're a traitor!"

Smirking, I said, "Feels good." I smashed his head against the floor then, and the man fell unconscious. He wasn't dead, but he would definitely wake later with a killer migraine.

Standing back to my feet I saw the other soldiers were unconscious as well.

"That's how it's done," Toph said, referring to her skills on breaking the door down and taking out the Captain. Suki and I rolled our eyes knowing she couldn't see us.

Sokka patted the girl on the shoulder, saying, "Good work, Toph. Time to take control of the ship. Take the wheel."

At first I wasn't sure who Sokka was talking to. Toph didn't seem to know either. With sarcasm she said, "That's a great idea! Let the blind girl steer the giant airship."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "I was talking to Suki."

Toph smiled weakly. "That would make a lot more sense."

Suki took the wheel, Toph grabbed onto my arm as the ship lurched a bit, and I sheathed my sword deciding I didn't need it at the moment.

"What are we going to do about the rest of the crew?"

Sokka thought over Suki's question for a moment. Then a thought hit him. His eyes scanned the controls for a minute, and then he found what he was looking for. There was a lever that read "Bomb Bay" and even I knew what that meant_. _Sokka was a mad genius.

"Take us down closer to the water. I've got an idea," Sokka ordered Suki. The ship we were on started to leave the fleet and drift down toward the ocean below. I hadn't even noticed we were no longer hovering over land. That meant we would be arriving on the Earth Kingdom's shore very soon.

Sokka found a microphone then that must've been for the ship's speakers. Sokka quickly spoke into the mic to order the crew, his voice deeper to play their captain. "Attention crew, this is your Captain speaking. Everyone please report to the bomb bay immediately for hot cakes and... sweet cream. We have a very special birthday to celebrate."

I slapped my forehead. "They won't believe that!"

A voice on the intercom spoke back though, saying, "You sure Captain… Don't we have to get ready for the massacre?"

Sokka quickly thought of an answer. "Ten minutes will be plenty of time for a celebration." A few crewmen were heard from somewhere on the ship cheering. Sokka cut the intercom off and turned to us with a sly smirk. "See. Give it five minutes, and then we'll pull the latch."

"These people are idiots," Suki muttered.

We did just as Sokka said. After five minutes Sokka grabbed onto the lever and gave it a pull. Below us you could hear screams as men fell into the water below. We were close enough that their fall wasn't too hard, so they all had a chance to swim somewhere and find safety.

"That was clever, Sokka," I commented.

Sokka beamed at my compliment. "All in the instincts." His attention turned back to the window as Suki steered us back up. His eyes narrowed a bit as they stared directly at the lead ship. "Fire Lord Ozai, here we come!"

"Time to put that man in his place," Toph snapped.

"My people have suffered too long at the hands of the Fire Nation," Suki added.

Walking over to the window, I pressed my hand on the glass as I stared at the ship. My hand tightened into a fist and I scowled. "That man's going to pay for what he did to me, my family, and Amber."

The ship flew back up with the other ships, and none of them seemed to notice we'd just dumped the whole crew in the ocean. When we got back to our position in the fleet, Sokka set the ship to full speed so we could catch up to the Fire Lord's airship. The ship sped up, and we managed to get slightly under the airship but it wasn't enough to take it down. The land in the distance was vastly approaching, and we were running out of time.

"We're not going to make it," I said, knowing it was a fact.

Sokka nodded in agreement, as well as dismay. "We're not going to catch up to him in time."

Suki seemed heartbroken, "No…"

The Fire Lord's ship got farther ahead of us, and we watched with horror as it hovered above the beginning of land. The land was rocky and had a river shooting through a sort of canyon, but on both sides of the canyon were trees and wild life. The Fire Nation was about to burn it all.

A hot stream of fire suddenly shot from the ship in front of us smashing into the trees below. The hot strong flames took light of the trees and began to consume the forest and everything with it. Birds flew up in the sky to flee from the hot flames.

"NO!" I shouted, crashing my hand on the glass. "We can't be too late!"

Sokka grabbed a spyglass from the control counter in front of us so he could get a closer look.

The fire from the Fire Lord's airship stopped suddenly, and the ship slowed. Immediately we were all shocked. Why had the Fire Lord stopped? Why was the ship slowing?

An explosion came from the massive airship then and we watched with amazement as it started to fall toward the rocky cliffs below. Fire shot from something that jumped from the ship and was flying toward a cliff. The ship crashed into some rocks creating more of an explosion than before.

Quickly I asked, "What's happening?"

Suki asked as well, "What just happened?"

Sokka beamed with delight as he focused on something through his spyglass. "It's Aang! He's back!"

The rest of us leaned toward the window trying to get a closer look. In the distance we saw two dots starting to go head to head on a cliff. The smaller dot I assumed was Aang, and the larger one was no doubt Ozai. As we got closer their shapes started to become more visual and I saw clearly that they both were fighting. As Aang and Ozai went head to head, I couldn't believe in all my days I'd get to experience something so historical.

The Avatar and Fire Lord were fighting, and I was actually seeing it in person.

"Go Aang!" Sokka cheered. "Air bending slice!"

Suki looked at Sokka with surprise. "Shouldn't we be helping him?"

Sokka got out of his intent gaze on Aang and Ozai's fight, turning serious. "Right." He thought for a moment, and then returned to being the leader. "The Fire Lord is Aang's fight. We need to stay focused on stopping that fleet from burning down the Earth Kingdom."

Toph seemed uncertain. "And how do we do that, Captain Boomerang? I can't see outside of this floating hunk of metal."

Sokka smiled with confidence. "Airship slice!"

We all stared at him with utter confusion. He explained quickly. We were going to fly up above the fleet and crash down on each of the airships to crash them from the sky. The move sounded dangerous, but I knew it was worth a try. If we didn't do it then the Fire Nation would surely destroy the Earth Kingdom.

"If we do this," Suki said. "We may get hurt."

"We have to take that risk," I said. "To save countless lives it's our only option."

Sokka took the wheel then pulling on a bunch of different levers. The ship began to ascend back toward the ships above us. Sokka jerked the wheel to the left and I stumbled into Suki as the shipped jerked. As we managed to fly above the other airships we watched with horror as the attack began. Fire Benders on every ship got onto their own individual catwalks and shot fire down at the forest. The fire spread as if it were hungrily consuming everything in its path. If Amber were here, would she be able to stop the massive amount of flames?

The heat was so intense you could feel it seep into the airship we were on. Toph must've felt it too, because she asked, "Whoa. That's a lot of fire, isn't it?"

"More than I've ever seen at one time," I said softly.

"Well let's stop them before they burn more than they need to," Sokka said.

He jerked the wheel sharply again and we started to make a beeline for the nearest airship. Suki, Toph, and I grabbed onto whatever we could for support. Sokka pulled more levers speeding up the airship to its max. I could feel the motor beneath me running crazy as it used everything it had. Sokka had us on a direct course and I knew there was no way we would miss.

Sokka turned to us anxiously. "It's going to be a rough ride. We need to get to the top of this thing, fast."

He grabbed Toph's hand and led her far enough to the door. I rushed behind her as she ran through the hall, only looking back slightly to see Suki and Sokka sharing a kiss at the doorway. Was this really the best time for that? Rolling my eyes, I rushed to catch up to Toph.

Eventually we got back to the ladder we'd originally come down. Holding Toph's hand, I helped her find the first step. She shot me a "thanks" and started to climb. The ship shook just as I grabbed onto the ladder, and we all gasped as the ship became unsteady. I assumed that meant we'd hit the first airship and were soon to hit the next.

Sokka shouted desperately, "Climb! Climb!" The bridge we'd just run down was starting to break up. Explosions were occurring all around us.

Toph and I climbed as fast we could, and Sokka and Suki followed behind. We eventually reached the steel door and Toph broke it open with her metal bending. The ship jerked every few seconds as it hit airship after airship. Finally we were on the top of the airship where wind immediately pounded us. Sokka took Toph's hand to help her, while Suki and I tried to catch our balance. Soon we all were running across the top of the airship as it continued to hit the line of enemy ships and knock them out of the sky.

Toph and Sokka were in the lead as we raced across the ship to try and get somewhere safe. The balloon below us shook as it exploded from the inside. We seemed to run for a good minute, reaching the metal dragon horns that decorated the front of the ship. The horns started to break up like the rest of the ship. To Suki and I's luck, the horn broke a clear line between us and the other two. Suki and I gasped as the metal below our feet gave way.

Suki screamed and I reached for her as we fell through the air. My hand grabbed around her waist just as we hit the airship. We landed with a hard thud on the metal below us and slid down the curved side of the ship. Pulling my sword from its sheathe I jammed it into the metal to stop us from sliding off the ship. My arm ached as I caught both Suki and myself, but we stopped sliding. Once we collected ourselves I let go of Suki and she got to her feet. Getting to my own, I yanked my sword out of the metal and sheathed it once more. A hole had formed in the metal where I'd stabbed into it.

"Thanks," Suki said, a bit out of breath.

"No problem," I responded, rubbing my shoulder.

Sokka's voice shouted over the explosions around us. "Suki! Kale!"

We looked up to see Sokka and Toph were quickly falling away from us, their airship soaring toward the next in line. Suki quickly yelled back, "We're okay! Just finish the mission!"

Sokka seemed like he wanted to argue, but he nodded hanging his head in defeat. Toph grabbed his hand and they took off once more. The airship we were on started to go down, and Suki and I gasped as we descended toward the earth.

I asked with uncertainty, "Now what?"

Suki looked around thinking for a moment. She smirked. "I have an idea." She grabbed my hand and pulled me along running us toward the back of the ship.

"Where are we going?"

"To the rudder," Suki explained over the explosions in the background. "We're steering this thing manually."

Sokka's girlfriend was either a genius or crazy.

**Amber POV**

The comet was still in the sky, but the sun was starting to lower. Finally, the palace came in sight and I prepared to fight. Zuko yanked Appa's reins getting him to head straight toward the huge palace courtyard. It was the first time since I was young that I saw the palace with my own eyes. It was massive, with a multiple of buildings that constructed the entire palace. There were towers and other courtyards around the palace as well. From the distance I could even see the garden where I once spent my childhood. A giant wall surrounded the whole area to give the Fire Lord protection and privacy.

As we neared the palace courtyard, we saw a pedestal that was raised in the courtyard center. The pedestal must've been where Fire Lord Ozai and other officials made their speeches to the public. On the pedestal were five Fire Sages of the Fire Nation. They arched around the woman who was kneeling on the pedestal. Her hair seemed a bit wild and she wore a fire red robe. The lead Fire Sage seemed to be preparing to place a gold grown in Azula's topknot.

"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire Lord..."

The lead Fire Sage was the first to spot Appa flying down toward the courtyard, his voice which echoed through the air cutting off in shock. The other sages noticed and stepped back in uncertainty.

Azula snapped loud enough for us to hear as we flew down toward her, "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Appa growled loudly and I smirked when I saw the sages tremble and back away more. Appa landed in the courtyard, and Zuko stood up on Appa's back with determination. "Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today." He jumped off of Appa landing on the ground. "I am."

Azula didn't look at all surprised by our arrival. Katara and I dropped from Appa, walking over to Zuko who looked ready to fight our sister.

She laughed like she'd lost her mind. "You're hilarious."

Katara snapped, "And you're going down!"

The Fire Sage went to crown Azula again, though he seemed unsure what to do. Azula held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. You want to be Fire Lord Fine. Let's settle this with a deal. Just Amber and I…. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai! If she wins I'll gladly hand over the crown to you. If I win you all become my prisoners."

The courtyard fell silent at Azula's words. Zuko was speechless, and Katara was surprised. He never expected Azula to target me in her fight, and I honestly expected her to go after Zuko.

"No way! This fight is between me and y-"

I cut Zuko off stepping between Azula and the other two. "You're on Azula. You just keep your end of the bargain."

Katara and Zuko were both horrified, shouting in unison, "What?!"

Azula smirked. "Of course, sis." The way sis rolled off her tongue showed she really didn't like me. I had to get through to her somehow. I had to get my little sister back one way or another.

We were set to fight in five minutes. Azula walked to one side of the courtyard, and I walked to the other. I managed to gesture Appa to another part of the courtyard where the fire wouldn't hurt him. He went behind a wall that led to another area of the palace. I didn't want the big guy to get hurt. When I returned to the courtyard, Zuko and Katara immediately ganged up on me.

Katara cried, "What are you doing? This is crazy! I thought you wanted to talk to her, not fight!"

"I know," I said. "But Azula isn't going to talk until I have her at her weak point. Once I get close enough during this fight, I'll take the first chance I get. I'll take her fire bending away, make her listen to me, and hopefully knock some sense into her thick skull."

Zuko sighed. "I still don't like this. Azula is unpredictable. She could really hurt you. Plus there's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping."

"Don't worry about me," I said. "You just take care of Katara. If some flames come toward you guys make sure my sister doesn't get burned."

Zuko nodded giving in, while Katara rolled her eyes. She said, "Still putting others first. You need to worry about yourself too."

I waved her off. "I stopped worrying a long time ago."

Katara went to argue again, but Zuko grabbed her shoulder to reassure her. "She's already accepted the deal. If she backs out we'll be imprisoned. I know Amber can do this."

"Don't worry Katara," I said. "I'll end this quickly."

Turning, I left Zuko and Katara to take my place on my own side of the courtyard. Azula was already in her place, kneeling with her back to me. Kneeling also, I tried to remember the rules of an Agni Kai. The only thing I could remember was the only way the match ended was by an opponent being burned or something like that.

I really hoped luck was on my side.

My eyes shot up toward the sky where the comet was still visible. Was Aang and the others alright? Was Kale okay? What would they think when they saw me now?

Shutting my eyes, I took in a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. The sound of Azula standing and moving across the courtyard was what made me stand and turn around. Azula's hard eyes looked straight at me as she threw her robes down on the ground beside her. She was wearing her usual fire nation attire underneath.

"We don't have to do this, Azula," I said. "We don't have to fight."

Azula grinned maniacally, as if her mind was completely lost. "You should've stayed dead!"

Before I could even blink, she thrust her hands forward and shot a strong blast of blue fire at me. The heat was stronger than I'd ever felt from her before, and I knew that was because of the comet in the sky. The comet almost seemed to give me strength too.

Thrusting my hands forward, I lunged into the flames pushing the blast on both sides of me. As the blue fire shot around me and evaporated in the air, I thrust my foot forward just as the blast stopped. Shooting a hard stream toward Azula, she gasped in surprise and jumped from the place she stood. Using her fire, she launched herself onto the roof behind her, and landed easily on her feet. Having the advantage of height, she shot another blast from above.

The fire smashed into the spot I'd just been standing in, however I'd jumped in enough time so it missed me by a second. Landing back on my feet, I shot another volley of flames up at the roof. Azula ran along the roof dodging each one of them. My colorful flames smashed straight through the roof causing pieces of wood to fly through the air.

Running forward, I jumped and launched myself with a blast on the roof as well, landing pretty hard on the slanted wood. My feet protested, as did my legs, but I ignored them and ran along the roof after Azula. Shooting a blast at her retreating form, she turned in enough time to block my fire. However my blast was more powerful than her block, and she was shot back smashing into the roof hard. She gasped as she rolled down the slanted roof and fell from it.

In enough time, she managed to grip onto the side of the roof to slow her fall. When she was hanging straight, she dropped down to the stone ground below landing with agility on her feet. She stood once more and shot another blast up at me. Jumping from the roof, I heard the explosion behind me and felt a few stray pieces of wood slice through my bare skin as I fell toward the earth.

Landing hard, I lost my footing and rolled a bit on the ground. Sweat beaded down my forehead, but I took no time to catch my breath. Rushing back to my feet, I quickly blocked another hot blast of fire as Azula screamed loudly with fury. This time her fire was continuous.

Her voice echoed across the courtyard. "You won't win!"

Her fire wasn't really that hard to block, and I stepped forward as it continued to stream at me. Really I was controlling the fire to make it change direction so it wouldn't hit me. To onlookers it looked as if I had an invisible curved shield. There was fire racing over my head and around the rest of my body, but none of the hot flames even brushed me.

As I stepped closer and closer to Azula, I could see through the vast amount of fire her eyes widen in shock. She gritted her teeth and shot more toward me, but I only pushed harder through her fire still holding my invisible shield. The closer I got to her across the courtyard, the more she backed away. I wondered what this looked like to Zuko and Katara. They probably saw the fire consuming me because it enveloped around my whole body. I hoped they didn't think I was burned alive.

Azula must've needed a breath, because as fast as the fire was coming at me, it suddenly stopped. The last streams of fire dissipated in the air, and the mass amount of heat went with them. Azula breathed heavily, backing away from me with fear.

She hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected that I'd actually be a match. She took me down in Ba Sing Sei easily, so she probably assumed she could do the same here. My fire bending was stronger than hers however, and she was starting to see that.

"You can stop right now Azula," I said, my hands still in front of me to prepare for another attack. I had a strong feeling Azula wouldn't stop after she'd already begun. "We don't have to fight."

She breathed heavily, sweat beading down her forehead. Even though the sun was starting to set and the comet's light was beginning to fade, I could see she was already exhausted. Her eyes shot wildly around the courtyard as if she were weighing her options.

"Please Azula… It doesn't have to be this way. I don't want to hurt you," I said. I took another step forward, trying to get close enough. If I got close enough, I could take her weakness as a chance to take her bending. I didn't want to upset her by stealing her only defense, but she'd left me with no choice. The fire she controlled wasn't being used for good. She didn't deserve to use fire in the way she'd used it over the years.

Fire was meant for warmth and life, not destruction.

Azula snapped at me with venom, "You don't want to hurt me?! You hurt me by just being alive! Every time I look at you, all I ever see is that woman who I once called mom! You plague me with her ghost, and I can't stand it anymore! She hated me! I was a monster to her! I'm a monster to you! I'm a monster to everyone, and I should just stay that way! I don't need your love! I don't need anyone's love!"

With her final words, she screamed again and shot another blast of fire at me. Running to the side, I dodged the harsh blast and ran toward Azula. This fight needed to end. I was tired of fighting her.

_If I can just get close enou-_

Another blast of fire shot at me as Azula switched hands. The fire smashed into me just as I put my hands up to block. My block was enough to keep me from getting burned, but the impact of her fire sent me flying back. I landed hard on the ground, sliding a bit. The stone beneath me scraped up my arms and ripped my shirt a bit.

When I stopped sliding, I winced from the pain where the ground had scratched me. Zuko and Katara were shouting in the background, telling me to get up. Pushing the pain aside, I stood and rubbed my arm a bit where the stone scrapped it up pretty bad. I felt warm blood and winced at the pain.

Azula laughed loudly, her face almost crazed as if she'd completely lost her mind. The power that coursed through had completely gone to her head. I didn't want to hurt her, but I knew I had no choice. It was the only way I'd get close enough to stop her.

Gritting my teeth, I ran forward with a shout and shot another volley of flames at Azula. She shot her own back at me and our fire met. An explosion sounded from the impact, and hot air blew back at both of us. Smoke filled my vision, but I was able to see somewhat through the black stinging air.

Azula was running forward, her hand pulled back ready to fire at me again. Running forward myself, I got right in front of her and grabbed her hand just as she was about to fire. My body started to glow as I began to take her fire away. She realized what I was doing and smashed her other fist into my face. The impact caused me to release and stumble back clutching my face. Blood trickled from my lip this time.

Instead of fighting with fire, we somehow started hand-to-hand combat. Azula took a few kicks at me, and I jumped back to dodge. Taking a kick at her, I smashed my foot into her stomach and forced her to fall back on the ground. She made an 'Oof' sound as her butt met the earth. Quickly she rolled and jumped back to her feet. Twisting her body she shot more fire at me and I dashed to the right to dodge her attack once more.

When I stood straight again, I saw once more Azula and I had distanced from one another. We were both breathing heavily, exhausted from our long fight.

"Tired sis," Azula asked, though her words were broken by her breathing.

I breathed in as well, saying, "What do you mean? I'm just getting started."

Azula smirked. "Well then, let's make this more interesting."

At first I had no clue what she was talking about. Then her fingers pointed toward me and I saw lightening start to charge on the tips.

No one had really taught me how to redirect lightning, but I'd been watching Zuko and I remembered a few things from uncle. I had to let the lightning flow through me, and I had to give it an exit. Quickly I got into the stance, ready to redirect the blast back to Azula. She thought she'd beat me… She was very wrong.

Just as the lightning was about to be shot, Azula did something completely unexpected. She turned her hand last minute and shot the strong current somewhere behind me.

Everything went in slow motion after that.

My eyes followed the lightning as it streamed past me across the courtyard. My sister stood by the wall that surrounded the courtyard, her eyes wide with horror as the lightning streamed toward her. "Katara!" My voice screamed for my sister as the lightning coursed quickly across the air.

Zuko ran out of nowhere, his body intercepting the strike just before it reached Katara. He fell to the ground hard, his body convulsing as the lightning coursed through his veins. You could almost see the current that was coursing through his body. My eyes widened in horror as my brother cried out in pain, clutching his chest where the lightning had struck him. Katara cried out to Zuko and rushed to his side in tears, still shocked by what had occurred.

All I could do was stare at the scene before me in shock. Tears were pouring out of my eyes. Why? Why?!

Zuko had just saved my sister… but he had risked his life to do so.

When I found my voice, I cried out in terror, "ZUKO!"

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><p><strong>AN: So I decided to cut it off where the episode cuts off. The next chapter will probably be the last one for this book. Thanks for reading, and I hope you're finding the battle epic so far. You all rock!**


	24. The Final Battle Part 2

**A/N: So I lied. This is not the last chapter in book 3. There will be one more. I was thinking about making this the last chapter, but it didn't feel right. So enjoy this chapter, let me know what you thought, and I promise I'll have the actual final chapter done soon. Thank you so much for your patience and continuous support. **

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><p><strong>Kale POV<strong>

There was one thought constantly shooting through my head at the moment. The thought was this…

How crazy could one chick be?!

Holding onto the ropes of the airships rudder, I felt the thick hard material start to burn my skin as I began to lose grip. Suki held onto her own pair of ropes beside me, and she didn't seem to struggle at all. I really needed to get with these Kyoshi Warriors. They were tougher than any group of fighters I'd ever met. Maybe Suki could give me a few pointers.

The both of us were doing all we could to direct the airship. The ship had started to go down slowly, but by some luck it was going down slower than the others. Already the airships hit before this one had crashed onto the land below. This airship seemed to be a trooper. We had luck on our side.

Wind pounded at my face and I shouted over at Suki, "I never imagined I'd be steering an airship like this!"

She beamed over at me. "It's so much fun!"

"That wasn't the word I was looking for," I snapped at her.

"You've got to be more adventurous Kale!"

Rolling my eyes, I tightened my grip on the ropes as we made a beeline toward the direction Toph and Sokka had gone. In the distance I could see the other airships were knocking into one another as Sokka and Toph continued to work their magic. More explosions sounded up ahead, and I saw from the corner of my eye Suki looked beyond worried about Sokka and Toph. I was worried too. Were they okay? The airship we'd all recently been on was most likely destroyed, so I hoped they'd gotten to another one safely.

We started to reach where the other airships were, and it almost looked like a herd of animals was bumping into one another. There was airship after airship smashed together, and at the moment no fire benders were firing down at the earth anymore. The fire benders were trying to find safety.

Glancing down at the land below, I felt sick to my stomach. The fire that already reached land was still raging and consuming everything in its path. This wasn't right… None of this was right. How could these men be so heartless and follow the Fire Lord so blindly? Didn't they at all care that they were destroying plants, animals, and human beings?

Of course they didn't… The Fire Nation had truly become a wild pack of monsters. I hated the thought of even being affiliated to such horrible, heartless people. It was a good thing I met Amber and switch sides.

Suki suddenly gasped. "Kale! Look!"

My attention returned to the scene before me and my eyes shot over toward Suki. She was pointing at something in the direction our airship was headed. Darting my head over to follow her finger, I saw with horror what she was seeing. On one of the many airships that seemed to be exploding, Toph was hanging off the catwalk. The only thing keeping her from falling was a hand that I assumed belong to Sokka. From what I could see Toph was slipping.

Something flew off the ship from my line of sight, and it shined from the reflection of the comet's fading light. I registered quickly it was Sokka's sword. He must've thrown it off, and now it was falling to the cliffs below. Looking back at Sokka, I saw a line of fire benders had gathered, and they were about to fire at Sokka and Toph full blast. They didn't care about the fact they were going to kill two kids. They were ready to murder whoever they could.

Quickly I yanked on my ropes to pull the rudder down a bit. "Take us straight toward them Suki!"

At first Suki tried to understand what I was saying. Realization finally hit her and she nodded with determination. We both managed to guide the ship we were on toward the bottom of the airship Toph and Sokka were dangling from. The nose of our airship smashed on the bottom side of the other causing a loud crash to sound in the air. The crash was followed by another explosion on the other ship. Suki and I held on as our ship shook hard from the sudden impact. When we caught ourselves, we watched as Sokka and Toph fell from there airship as it lurched to the side from our hit.

Sokka and Toph shouted as they fell down landing on the top of our ship safely. The fire benders who had been ready to fire at the kids had run off quickly when they saw our ship coming toward them. Cowards… When Sokka and Toph managed to stand from their fall, I noticed Sokka was holding onto Toph for support. He pointed over at us with excitement, shouting something in Toph's ear. She smiled widely.

The two started to walk toward us, and I saw as they got closer Sokka's leg was bent wrong. He'd definitely broken it. Toph seemed to be having trouble supporting Sokka, so I knew I needed to go assist her.

"Suki! I'm going to help Sokka! Do you got this?"

Suki nodded over at me tightening her grip on the ropes. She looked worried for her boyfriend. "Go!"

Letting go of my own ropes, I raced across the top of the shaking ship over to Sokka and Toph. As I rushed over, I saw Sokka's boomerang in my path. He must've dropped it from above, and I knew it meant a lot to him. Grabbing it up as I passed, I made my way to Sokka and took his arm so he could use me for support. His arm rested over my shoulders as I held him up. Toph had been struggling from using just her own support, so my help made her sigh with relief.

"Man Kale, are we glad to see you," Sokka said, hopping along beside me. He was trying hard not to wince from his pain, but every now and then his eyes would tighten and he'd hold his breath. With a shaky voice from the pain, he said, "For once you actually came in handy."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Always great compliments from you Sokka."

We managed to make our way back over to Suki, and I forced Sokka to hold onto the metal of the rudder for support. He thanked me with utter relief when he saw I'd grabbed his boomerang, and he quickly returned it to its holder on his back. Toph joined beside him with my help, holding onto the rudder so she wouldn't fall. Returning to the ropes I'd abandoned, I grabbed onto them again to help Suki steer.

Suki looked at the group with question. "So… Now what do we do?"

Her words made me sigh with relief. Her question was music to my ears, because looking at the scene around us, I saw we accomplished our mission. The airships were all drifting down toward land since they were too damaged to fly. One by one they started crashing either in the river or in the burning forest.

The air fleet had been conquered, and our battle was won.

Our destinies for this war were fulfilled.

"I guess our next step would be to land this thing somehow, and then we'll go catch up to Aang and help him if we can," I said. My eyes shot up to the sky. The comet was hardly visible in the air anymore, just a line of light on the horizon. The vast amount of light in the sky left was mainly coming from the sun which was setting somewhere behind the dark smoke of the forest.

Toph let out a hard sigh of relief. "It's almost over."

"After a hundred years," I said softly.

Sokka pointed at some pillars sticking out of the river below. The pillars were right near Aang and the Fire Lord who still fought in the distance. Sokka was focusing at the moment on our destination. "Let's try and land over there… That way we're away from the fire but close enough to help Aang."

Suki and I yanked on the ropes doing just that.

**Amber POV**

For the first time ever, I felt like I was frozen in time. The image of what had just occurred kept repeating in my mind like a constant wave crashing on shore. All my mind could visualize was Azula getting ready to strike lightning at me. She'd had the advantage, and a clear shot. She'd said earlier she wanted me gone, so why didn't she do it? I remember that look in her eye just as she changed the lightning's direction. At first I couldn't decipher what it had been, but as the scene replayed in my head I understood. Azula had been uncertain, and that's why she changed her target.

She wasn't sure if she wanted me dead.

Even though her uncertainty had saved my life, it didn't justify what had happened next. The lightning had almost hit my little sister Katara. The lightning had almost killed her the same way it almost killed me a while ago. Instead of hitting her though, it hit another. The image of Zuko falling in the lightning strike was like a stab to my heart. The image of him convulsing on the ground made me sick to my stomach.

I'd asked Zuko to protect my sister, and he had done just that. He'd done more than that. He took a blast of lightning for her, and the lightning was probably killing him slowly.

Time started to go again, and Zuko's name echoed across the courtyard from my loud agonized yell. The smoke from the lightning evaporated in the air, and my sister Katara knelt beside Zuko in terror. Taking a step forward, my eyes were blurred by tears as I worried sick over my brother and his condition. From the distance it wasn't looking too good.

Katara looked over at me with tears pouring down her face. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and then she looked off somewhere else. Her eyes widened and she looked back at me shouting, "Amber! Look out!"

If she hadn't warned me, I would've never noticed the blast of fire that shot out of nowhere behind me. Turning quickly, I blocked the blue flames as fast as I could. The flames were weaker than before, and I had a feeling I knew why. Azula wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She couldn't decide if she wanted me dead or not, and that made her waver on her attacks.

Looking back over at Katara as I blocked the oncoming flames, I asked, "You can heal him right?!"

Katara had already pulled water from her pouch and it glowed blue over Zuko's chest. "I'll do what I can," she shouted at me, not looking up. "It will take some time though." Her voice was broken as she began to heal Zuko. She was as worried about him as I was.

Turning back to Azula, I saw her eyes were wide with shock. She probably hadn't expected Zuko to jump into the lightning strike. However she kept firing her hot blasts at me, and I had a strong feeling her pride wasn't allowing her to forfeit. I had to end this battle quickly. I needed to get over to Zuko and help.

With a shout, I lit a hot flame in my hand and fired with all my might at my little sister in front of me. Azula gasped when the sudden blast shot toward her, and she threw her hands up to block. The fire shot past her as she pushed it aside, but the force sent her sliding back a bit on her feet. When the fire calmed, she looked for the first time all night to be worried. She was surprised by my attack, and she was amazed at the power behind it. She was starting to see that she didn't have the advantage she wanted.

She shot more volleys of flames at me with determination, and I ran away from where I was standing so the fire wouldn't shoot toward Katara and Zuko. Running along the courtyard wall, I felt the heat of the fire smash into the stone behind me. The sound of explosions indicated to me just where the fire had hit. If I could at least get Azula's blasts away from Katara and Zuko, then I knew Katara had a chance of saving Zuko's life.

Stopping my run, I held my hands up ready to defend myself again. "Stop, Azula! Our brother's hurt! We don't have time for this!"

Azula scowled, gritting her teeth hard. "He's not your brother! And I'm not your sister! You're nothing but a pest to me!" Her hair had come out of its topknot a while ago and now hung wildly around her face. The sky was darkening as the sun continued to set. Sozin's comet was still active, but I could feel the power from the comet was starting to leave. Azula must've felt the loss of power from the comet too, because she started to look scared.

She knew I could beat her. She knew my fighting was stronger than hers by a long shot. When the comet surely left us, I'd have the complete advantage.

Azula ran at me lighting another flame in her hand. Her face was beading with sweat, her flames were wild and out of control, and I knew at any moment she would crash. She was losing her strength. I have to admit I was too. Exhaustion was surely starting to plague my body. My muscles burned, my lungs ached, and the cuts on my skin stung terribly.

Darting to the right, I heard an explosion as the fire Azula just threw at me smashed into the place I'd just been standing. My feet tripped as I dodged, and I fell on my side sliding a bit. The stone burned as I scratched my body against it. My whole body was drenched in sweat, my mouth dry from thirst, but I stood once again not allowing myself to be defeated.

With another strong blast, I turned sharply and shot it straight at Azula. This time she didn't block, and instead she too jumped to the side landing hard on the stone ground. She hit it hard, and I assumed she probably scratched herself up as well. Her body lied there for a moment, rising up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Her head rested on the stone and her hands tightened into fists. Her eyes shut tightly as she weighed her options.

"Please stop," I begged, trying to catch my breath also.

How did it end up like this? How could Azula hate me and Zuko so much? The Fire Lord truly had twisted her mind and made her believe us to be the enemy. Azula was so blinded by the Fire Lord's false love, that she was willing to take out those who truly cared in the process. She was willing to fight till she was the last of us standing.

"We're sisters… You know we are. We used to collect seashells together. We used to make sandcastles at the beach. Don't you remember?"

Something I said must've had some effect on her though. Her eyes were full of tears, and I saw her body shaking as if she were trying to hold in her cries. When I looked at Azula in that agonized state, it was that moment I didn't see a crazed violent teen. Instead I saw a terrified, abandoned, and lonely fourteen year old girl. Azula had no one. She was scared and alone. Seeing the tears running down her cheeks showed me she realized that too.

"Azula… Please listen to m-"

"NO!" Azula jumped back up to a stand and screamed loudly shooting a blast of lightning toward me.

I gasped thinking quickly and held my fingers out ready to redirect the strong current. The lightning entered my fingertips and shot through me so fast. It was one of the most terrifying things I'd ever experienced. That much power coursing through my veins… The thought that one wrong movement could kill me… As I tried to concentrate on where I wanted the lightning to go, I saw through the bright blue light around me that Azula was watching me with wide eyes. The lightning coursing through me finally flowed through my other arm and I shot the strong current at the ground in front of Azula. It hit the stone while Azula stumbled backward to avoid the hit. She tripped over loose stone and fell back on her butt. When the lightning was out of me, I dropped to my knees in relief.

My breathing was hard as I tried to catch my breath. My body trembled a bit at the feeling of the current that had passed through me. It had felt like every nerve and vein in my body was burning. Now that the blast was gone, I was utterly relieved to still be alive.

Somehow I found the strength and got back to my feet. Azula was still on the ground, too stunned by my actions to move. "Please… Let's stop this," I begged, using as much strength as I could to stand straight. "You don't want to hurt me, and I don't want to hurt you. You're my little sister." I took a careful step forward. I was afraid if I moved too quickly she'd freak and fire again.

Azula managed to get back to her feet, her body swaying a bit from over all exhaustion. She stayed where she was, but her eyes darted wildly around the courtyard. She looked at me, then Zuko and Katara who were near the edge of the courtyard, and then back at me. Her hands were shaking as she held them up in front of her again. She was prepared to fire at me, but the way her stance was so sloppy and her body shook told me I'd have no problem blocking her attack if she did.

"What would you know about a sister?" Azula asked. Her voice sounded so tired and pained. "You weren't there growing up! I've never had a sister! It's always just been me!"

"You know I didn't have a choice," I said, taking another careful step. "The Fire Lord wanted me gone. Zhao stole me away against my will. You know father hated the sight of me. I never wanted to abandon you. I never wanted to abandon my family!"

"But you did!" Azula suddenly shouted with fury. "And even after you abandoned our family, I could still never find favor in mom's eyes. The only daughter she ever loved was you!" She pointed a finger at me, almost to accuse me.

"You're wrong," I said. "Even though I don't remember much about her, I know she loved you as much as she loved me!"

Azula grabbed her head suddenly, shouting, "I know your lying! All she ever saw me as was a monster! That's all anyone sees me as. You, Zuko, Ty Lee, Mai, mom, and even father… All you people see me as is a worthless beast! A burden to this world, and this family. I should've just struck myself with lightning! I should've killed myself a long time ago! No one will ever love me, so I should just d-"

"SHUT UP!"

I'd had it with her and her pity talk. Storming up to her quickly, I took her moment of weakness to my advantage. My hand grabbed onto her wrist and I pulled her toward me with hard eyes. I was slightly taller than her, now that I thought of it, and I was stronger. Her shaking eyes stared into my own, her lips chapped and trembling. Her other hand was trying to push against my arm, her nails long and scratching into my skin. Though it hurt, I didn't loosen my grip.

"Don't you ever say that again! Don't you ever say no one will ever love you and you wish you were dead! If I didn't love you I would've ended this battle a long time ago! If I didn't love you, I would've killed you during the eclipse when I had the chance! If I didn't love you I wouldn't be fighting so hard to knock some sense into you're thick skull! Stop being an idiot Azula! I'm your sister, and I LOVE YOU!"

Azula was shocked, her body frozen as she took in everything I'd just said. Her eyes which still were pouring out tears stared at me widely. It was probably the first time in years that Azula heard that from someone else's mouth. The Fire Lord was not one to love, and I assumed Zuko had never said it to her before.

"Let go of me," she said weakly, trying to pull from my hand.

"No," I said softly.

She pulled harder. "I said let go of me you freak!" She went to hit me with her other hand, and I quickly grabbed it to stop her. "LET GO!"

"Why can't you just open your eyes? Why can't you see that you have something good in front of you?"

She snapped, "I don't need you! I don't need anyone!"

Suddenly her leg swung up and fire shot from her foot. The blast sent me flying a good five yards back, and I hit the ground very hard this time. My stomach ached from the burns it had just received, and my whole body vibrated as my eyes blurred from the pain. Tears started to fall down my cheeks.

I couldn't take it anymore. How much more kindness could I show to Azula? If she was going to be stupid and blind, then I was out of options. I tried so hard to try and talk to her, and she brushed me off like I was a fly. I didn't want to take away her fire bending, but she'd left me with no choice.

Somehow I found the strength to get back to my feet again. Looking over at Azula, I saw her raise her hand again prepared to fire once more. My body started to glow as my spiritual self took over me. The energy I had lost came flooding back through my veins as my spirit overtook my human body. The fire inside me enhanced to its fullest as I bid the flames to obey me. Stepping over to Azula, I saw her eyes were wide with terror when she saw the glow that formed around my body.

"I've had it," I said, stepping over to her. "I've tried to make you listen, but I guess nothing will get through to you. You've left me no choice."

She gritted her teeth, tightened her fist, and shot a blast of hot blue fire toward me again. I held my hand up and the fire stopped midair completely disappearing as if it were never shot. She backed up afraid, lowering her hand with uncertainty. She was stunned by my true power. Her pride wouldn't allow her to lose though, and she shot another blast toward me. This time I caught the blue fire in my glowing hands and shot it back at her. The fire hit her just as she held her hands up to block. An explosion sounded as the fire reached its max on impact and sent her flying backward. She crashed onto her back, and then did a few rolls across the courtyard. When the rolls stopped, she lied on her back exhausted.

Walking over to Azula, I stopped beside her and saw her gold eyes stare up at me with terror. Her face cringed a bit in pain, and I knew my attack had hurt her. Kneeling down beside her, I place my hand on the temple of her head saying softly, "I wish there was another way."

Quickly I drew her fire out of her. She gasped as I took the fire inside her away, and her eyes widened as she felt it happen. As I drew away her energy, I saw her eyes were pouring out tears as much as my own were. I was utterly pained to take away the one thing my sister held dear, but she had abused her gifts for far too long. She used fire to destroy, and I couldn't allow that any longer.

When there was no longer fire inside her, I pulled away and got back to my feet. Hanging my head, I said softly, "I'm sorry… I'm truly sorry." The glow around my body started to fade until my spirit rested inside me once more. When the energy rested inside me, I immediately felt the exhaustion and pain roll back over me. My human body had about had it.

Azula continued to lie on the stone hard ground staring up at me. She was shocked by what I had just done. Too shocked to move.

Clutching my stomach where it pulsed in pain from my new burns, I turned and started to walk back across the courtyard to Katara and Zuko. Zuko was sitting up, my sister Katara having healed him enough to get his strength back. She was holding him up for support, but he seemed to be doing okay. A sigh of relief escaped me at the thought.

"NO!"

Something suddenly crashed into me and I hit the ground hard, my head smacking against the stone a little. My vision blurred for a moment until it focused once more.

Katara's voice suddenly cried out nearby, "Amber!"

Hands circled around my neck suddenly and my circulation was cut off. Clutching the hands that strangled me, I gasped as I lost the ability to breathe. Through blurring vision I saw Azula. Her eyes were red with tears as she strangled me.

**Kale POV**

We'd somehow managed to take ourselves closer to the pillars where Aang and the Fire Lord were going head to head. From the distance the fight was beyond words. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air were being shot from Aang left and right as his whole body glowed. It was like the kid was flying, his body moving fast after the Fire Lord who tried to retreat. The Fire Lord's hot blasts of flame were strong, but Aang was stronger. Each time the Fire Lord shot at Aang, the kid managed to block and counter the attack. It helped too that Aang had gone into the Avatar state.

"I can't believe it," Sokka exclaimed, watching the scene in front of him with thrill. "Aang managed to go into the Avatar state! I thought he lost that ability!"

"Looks like Twinkletoes always comes back," Toph said. She was beaming at the thought of Aang winning this battle. We all were excited for Aang to win. From the distance I assumed he would.

My eyes watched mesmerized at the fight before me. I'd only ever heard stories of an Avatar's true power. As I watched Aang, I knew that this truly was the full power of an Avatar. Even though Aang was a kid, he had to be the strongest person on the whole planet. Aang had truly proven himself as the Avatar.

A hard blast of air was shot from Aang suddenly, and it smashed into the Fire Lord who was trying to fly away with his hot stream of flames. From where I stood on the airship, I saw the Fire Lord smash into a large stone pillar when the harsh stream of wind hit him. The pillar broke from the collision, and I winced imagining just how much the impact must've hurt.

"That's going to leave a mark," Suki said. From the corner of my eye I saw her smirk, glad to know such an evil man was getting what he deserved. I honestly enjoyed seeing the Fire Lord get thrown around too. He'd done it enough to me and other servants in the past. He was just getting a taste of his own medicine.

The Fire Lord had managed to recover from the hit and shot himself once more through the air. Aang followed right at his heel, and now that we were closer I saw Aang more clearly. He had a ball of air around him, with water, fire, and earth circling around his sphere. He was bending all four elements at once.

The next thing Aang did was even more awesome. He shot a very strong water whip at the Fire Lord. The water seemed to wrap around the man's body and trap him as if he were restrained in a watery fist. Then the water whip threw the Fire Lord from the air down onto a pillar below. His body smashing against the rock must've hurt like crazy, but I could find no sympathy for the man.

The Fire Lord lied on the pillar in exhaustion, and Aang lowered toward him still in a sphere of all elements. As Aang hovered above the man, from what we could see in the distance it looked like he was about to make his final blow. He created a stream of water, fire, air, and earth that trailed up toward the sky and started to shoot down sharply at Ozai. He didn't deal the final blow however. Instead the sphere around Aang went away, and the stream broke up in the air dropping water and rocks down on Ozai but not killing him. Aang landed on the pillar slowly, his work finally complete. The Fire Lord, who I assumed was probably soaked from a bunch of water falling on him, continued to lie on the pillar probably in sock.

Aang hadn't killed Ozai after all.

"No!" Sokka whined. "What is Aang doing? He needs to finish it!"

Pulling on the rope I was still holding onto, I said, "He knows what he's doing Sokka. Aang's a wise Avatar." My eyes stayed on Aang, who stood in front of Ozai on the pillar. We were slowly getting closer and closer.

Ozai was up suddenly, and he shot a blast of flames toward Aang. However the blast trailed above Aang's head completely missing the target. Then Aang turned toward Ozai and started to glow again. His whole body turned a bright blue. He approached Ozai and touched the man's head and chest. A second later Ozai's body was consumed by a bright red light. The red seemed to trail onto Aang over taking his blue light, almost as if evil were filling inside the kid.

Suki watched with amazement. "What is he doing?"

My mouth opened too stumped to answer. "I don't know…"

A bright red ray of light suddenly shot up toward the sky then, and we all gasped looking away and covering our eyes. It was too bright. The light was way too bright for any of us to see.

Toph couldn't see anyway. "What's happening?"

"There's a bright light," Sokka answered. "We can't see."

Through the cracks of my eyes which I had tightly closed, I saw the red seeping through was turning to blue. What was going on? What was with this mass amount of light? What was Aang doing?

Just as the light had come, it quickly ended. When the blue light could no longer be seen through my eyelids, I opened my eyes blinking a few times to focus. As my vision returned, I looked back at the pillar to see Aang standing straight and tall. The Fire Lord was lying on his back out cold. The Fire Lord had been defeated. I had no clue what Aang had just done, but the kid had officially just won this war.

"Aang did it!" I cried. The others opened their eyes when they heard me speak, and Toph looked in my direction not knowing what was going on. "He defeated the Fire Lord!"

Sokka beamed as he held onto the rudder for support. "YEAH! GO AANG!"

As Suki and I focused on landing the pillar, we also watched Aang pull water from the sea nearby to flood through the forest and stop the raging fires around us. When the fire was stopped, Aang returned the water back into the sea where it belonged. A few minutes later we landed the airship rather hard on a few pillars near Aang. It was almost a crash landing, and we gave a few shouts as the ship we were on shook violently. The catwalk on the airship went straight on the pillar Aang stood on, and I took that as sheer luck. Suki and I had no clue how we landed the ship, but we weren't complaining.

The four of us managed to climb down the ladder on the side of the airship balloon, and then we walked along the metal catwalk to get off the ship and onto the pillar. Sokka used me for support the whole time, although he had gone down the ladder on his own: That took a while.

We eventually made it onto the pillar, and Aang looked thrilled to see us.

"You did it! You should have seen yourself, it was amazing!" Sokka began with excitement. I continued to hold him up, and rolled my eyes when he continued. "You were all like,"pshoom, pfoom, pfoom, phish, whoom", and then the Fire Lord was all like, "eugh, eh, eh, eh, eugh, aye"." He pretended to choke himself on the last part, and I shook my head in disbelief. Amber's brother was crazy.

Suki walked over toward Ozai then, pointing down at him with uncertainty. "So, did you… you know… finish the job?"

The man whose black hair and sharp goatee were longer than I remembered, managed to stir a bit. He was against a raised piece of earth, and he looked like he was a bit out of it. "I'm still alive," he hissed sharply.

Suki stepped back a bit unsettled by such a monster being so close to her.

"I learned there was another way to defeat him and restore balance," Aang said. "I took his bending away."

My eyes widened. "Did Amber teach you how?"

He shook his head. "No. I did get the idea from her, but I learned it somewhere else."

"Wow…" Toph drawled out. "Who taught you?"

Aang smirked. "A giant Lion Turtle."

I was stumped. "A what now?" I'd never heard of such a creature in my life.

"You have the craziest adventures when you disappear," Toph said, crossing her arms with a grin.

The five of us circled near Ozai then, looking at his pathetic state with utter relief. The Fire Lord had been defeated. Our work was done.

Ozai was conscious again but looked beaten. He winced and tried to gather his strength back up, but he was failing terribly. "Not so tough now, huh," I said. "Your days of destruction are over."

The man growled, gritting his teeth at my comment.

Sokka let go of me and hobbled over to him. "Well, look at you buster. Now that your fire bending is gone, I guess we should call you the "Loser Lord"."

The man I once knew to be so powerful and terrifying, pointed a shaky finger at Sokka. Leaning forward slightly he hissed, "I am the Phoenix King!" He fell back against the earth though, having barely any strength to hold him up.

Toph joked, "Oh sorry, didn't mean to offend you "Phoenix King of Getting His Butt Whupped"."

Suki added, "Yeah, or how about "King of the Guys Who... Don't Win"?"

I had to tighten my lips to keep from laughing at Suki's fail. Sokka shook his head in disbelief, and Toph slapped her forehead. Pointing at Suki, Toph said, "Leave the nicknames to us honey." She pointed between her and Sokka. Suki pouted in disappointment.

Ozai scowled, probably annoyed that he was completely surrounded by his enemies. His eyes shot toward me suddenly, and I glared daggers at him. When our eyes met I saw the man have a sudden look of recognition. "You…" he began, pointing another shaking finger toward me. "I know you… You're that stupid servant boy!" His voice was full of venom.

I crossed my arms and stood my ground. The others had turned their attention toward Ozai and me. "You're wrong," I said. "If I were a stupid servant boy, I would've blindly served you for the rest of my days. I'm one of the smartest servants that ever served you, because I actually realized how much of a fool you were from the beginning."

"You insolent boy!" The man tried to sit up again, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated. He was already crazy, and the look on his face at the moment made him more of a lunatic. "After everything I did for you… You betray me and your nation!"

"Betrayel…? Now that's a strong word Ozai. If anyone betrayed anyone it was you. You betrayed your whole family the moment you tried to have Amber killed," I said, my voice hard to keep from yelling.

He scowled. "That freak… she deserved what she got… and so did you." He fell back again, but his eyes stayed on me. "You were nothing but a waste who moped around because I sent away your girlfriend." He noticed the surprised look on my face and gave a wicked grin. "Oh yes, I knew all about your childhood fling with that freak. Why do you think I sent you away? It was only a matter of time before you assassinated me."

Crouching in front of the man, I looked him dead straight in the eye. My voice was hard, because secretly I wanted to pound this man in the face. "I guess I owe you thanks then… If you'd never sent me to that village, I would've never found Amber again and helped the Avatar destroy you. I can't wait to serve under Zuko, the one who should've been Fire Lord all along." Standing, I turned and started to talk away.

"You filthy little peasant! You're nothing but a worthless piece of dirt. You know what… You and that creature do belong together, because you're just like her! You're both nothing but an ugly piece of-"

Turning with fury I slammed my fist into Ozai's jaw cutting him off. His head turned to the side and his body slumped against the pillar unconscious. I'd knocked the wind out of him, and I didn't care one bit. The man had some blood trickle down his chin from where I'd cut his lip with my swing. His jaw was probably broken, which gave me satisfaction. The monster deserved it.

"You can insult me all you want, but when you insult Amber that's when I draw the line," I hissed. Standing straight once more, I rubbed my knuckles which ached a bit from the hit. After cooling my anger down, I turned to the others who were staring at me with bewilderment. "Let's get back to the palace," I began. "I'm sure the others are waiting for us."

Walking past the others, I made my way toward the airship. Hopefully it wasn't too damaged and we could fly it out of here.

**Amber POV**

Whenever I think of a fish on land who can't breathe, I always wonder what thoughts are going through its head. At the moment I was that fish out of water, and I only had one thought going through my head. The thought was this:

_There is no way I'm dying like this!_

Azula gritted her teeth, her fingers tightening on my airway. "Give my fire back! Without it I'm nothing! Give it back!"

"No," I choked out. "I can't."

She began to sob hysterically. Her tears fell on my face. "It's my fire! It's mine! IT'S MINE!" Her knee dug into my stomach and I gasped as more pain vibrated through my body.

My eyes started to blur and my lungs started to burn. I couldn't get the strength to fire her off of me because I was trying too hard to breathe. "N—no," I said, pulling harder at her hands. Her fingers started to dig into my skin.

"Get off of her!" Water suddenly smashed into Azula and her hands let go of my neck. She fell off of me rolling somewhere beside me. A trail of water followed her until she fell limp to the ground a good six yards away. As soon as my airway was freed, I broke out into hard coughs as I tried to catch my breath. My lungs burned and my heart pounded heavily. My throat hurt, and I had a feeling I'd have bruise marks in the morning.

"Amber," Katara suddenly said beside me. "Are you alright?"

She helped me sit up, her arm being my support. I was exhausted, my body telling me it needed rest. However, with Katara's help, I found enough strength to get to my feet. My brother Zuko was on his feet too. He was clutching his chest which probably hurt like crazy, but he didn't seem fazed. He walked over to Katara and I, only wincing every now and then from the pain. Katara had healed him enough to seal the wound, so all it needed to do was completely heal.

My eyes trailed over to Azula, who was lying on the ground unconscious. Katara's hit must've knocked her out. I assumed the exhaustion from everything else probably helped too. Wincing from the pain I felt on my own body, I clutched my stomach once more which still stung from my burns.

"Amber!" Zuko exclaimed. "That was the best fire bending I've seen in all my years! You were amazing!"

I winced at the pain, but smiled weakly at the compliment. "Well when you're the Spirit of Fire it has its props."

Katara threw her arms around me suddenly, hugging me to her with utter relief. "I was so worried. I'm so glad you're okay."

I sighed, pressing my face into her shoulder and closing my eyes. "Yeah… Thanks to you. Azula was going to choke the life out of me." Pulling away, I looked back over at Azula who was soaked on the floor. When she woke up she'd have an awful headache.

Katara's embrace was suddenly gone, and Zuko's arms replaced hers. He pulled me to him suddenly, and I couldn't help but feel comfort in my oldest brother's hold. "You did wonderful out there. I'm proud of you."

"How's your chest?"

He pulled away a bit, smiling weakly. "Don't worry about me. I've been through much worse." When he said that, I couldn't help but look at the scar on his left eye. "How are you? If I were just strangled to death I'd still be on the ground."

I waved him off and stole his line. "I've been through much worse."

"Looks like we share something now," he said. "We both have been struck by lightning and lived to tell the tell."

I gave a goofy grin. "We're twins!"

Katara giggled, glad to see the two of us were in high spirits. Then she exclaimed, "Who taught you how to redirect lightning? You looked like a natural!"

Immediately I grimaced, knowing they wouldn't like my answer. "I kind of just winged it."

"WHAT?"

Katara and Zuko both shouted in my ear, and I winced from their shouts. "No one really taught me. I watched you train Aang one day and guessed."

Katara seemed flabbergasted, while Zuko shook his head in disbelief. While all of this occurred, I saw we suddenly had company. Nudging Zuko with my elbow, I pointed over at the five fire sages who were walking toward us across the burned and busted courtyard. The lead sage- the one who was about to crown Azula earlier- stepped over to us with a smile.

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation… As law states, once a Fire Lord is dethroned or resigns the next eligible in line shall be named Fire Lord over the land. You have shown yourself to be worthy, and I gladly bestow upon you the honor," the fire sage said. We were beyond speechless at his words. The man bowed before Zuko, and the sages behind him bowed as well. "We are at your command."

Zuko was taken off guard, and he wasn't sure what to say. He quickly recovered and nodded. Standing straight, Zuko took command and laid out his first order. The sages were to send word across the Fire Nation and announce the news to everyone. The war was over, by decree of the new Fire Lord. While they did that another sage would help us carry Azula inside the palace and lock her in one of the many rooms so she couldn't harm herself or others. Also Zuko mentioned that Aang and the others would be arriving soon, and he ordered that they receive a warm welcome. The fire sages took everything he said and bowed with respect when he was finished. Zuko had just officially made his first demands as Fire Lord.

Another thought struck Zuko. "Where are all the servants and guards?"

The lead sage answered. "Your sister Azula had them all fired, sir."

Zuko didn't look surprised, and I understood why. He'd expected Azula to have done something crazy. Firing all of her guards and servants was a clear sign her head wasn't right. Zuko sighed, and then ordered, "Send word to them all that they may return to their positions."

The lead sage nodded, and then asked, "Is there anything else you wish for as of now sir?"

My brother thought it over. "Let's get Azula inside first. Then we'll talk."

A few moments later we'd managed to carry Azula's unconscious body into the palace and to a room with a lock on the outside. Katara had used her water bending to do so, having carried Azula's body with a stream of water. The water almost looked like a hand was wrapped around Azula's waist to carry her. When we had her in the decent sized room, Katara managed to lower her on the bed. I stared at her state with sad eyes. Even though she was so full of hate, right now she looked like an injured child. Zuko placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me. We left her there, locking the door outside to keep her in.

A good three hours later we were in what appeared to be a large dining room. Zuko had been bandaged by Katara and I, so he seemed to be a bit more comfortable than before. Torches along the walls lit the room we were in. The sun had finally set, the comet had completely passed, and night had come at last. Zuko asked me if I remembered the room we were in, just curious I suppose, but I shook my head. So far the only things I recognized in the large palace was a familiar looking hall, and a broom closet that I swear I used to hide from father in.

The servants had slowly trickled back into the palace one by one as they returned to their jobs. Some of the servants had lived in the palace their whole lives, so they were relieved to be able to return home. They were also surprisingly ecstatic to have Zuko as their new Fire Lord, and you could tell because every servant we spoke to was beaming with delight. It was as if they had all been dreading Azula's rule, and when they found out it was Zuko taking the throne instead they were pleased. The servants immediately served us as if we'd been at the palace our whole lives. Most of the servants knew Zuko from when he was younger, but none of them really knew me. However they bowed toward me when they understood who I was. Whenever the servants bowed, I blushed embarrassed and asked them not to. They did it anyway.

The long rectangular wooden table we sat at was filled quickly with all types of food. As the servants filled the table, a Fire Sage came in the room and bowed. "Fire Lord Zuko, I have good news. Your friends have arrived, and they have brought with them your father."

My blood went cold. "Is… Is he dead?"

The sage shook his head. "No, my princess. He is unconscious and being carried to the palace prison as we speak."

I sighed, a bit relieved to know Aang hadn't killed him. The kid had too much of a heart to do so.

_Great job, Aang!_

"Bring them in," Zuko ordered with a smile. He was relieved to hear Aang had beat Ozai. "They're our friends after all."

The sage nodded and left. A moment later the others walked through the door, and I beamed with delight when I saw them. Sokka and Suki were the first to enter, Sokka using a wooden crutch with his foot bandaged. He must've broken it during the battle, but other than that he was in one piece. Toph and Kale entered in behind them, and I saw Kale beam with delight when he saw me. Aang was the last to enter into the room, and I could see his eyes were shining excited that we'd all won the battle at last.

Forgetting about the pain and exhaustion I felt all over, I stood from the cushion I'd been seated on and rushed around the table. My body almost forced Kale on his back as I jumped on him hugging him tightly. He stumbled back a bit but managed to catch himself. He hugged me back hard, and I shut my eyes enjoying his warmth and forgetting about the pain my body kept reminding me of. My hands went up into his hair. Pulling him to me, I pressed my lips on his own kissing him with relief. He pulled me closer to him kissing me back. When I pulled apart a moment later, I placed my head on the nape of his neck and hugged him around his waist. He'd gotten so tall over the last few months.

"You're okay," I said, utterly relieved to find he was in one piece.

"Better than you," he said, pulling away and looking over my state. "You look like you were in an explosion." He placed a thumb on my cheekbone, and I winced when it stung from a cut.

I took his hand in my own and pressed it to my face. "Katara said she'd heal me up later. She's too tired from healing Zuko." As I held his hand, I noticed something. His knuckles were bruised. When I shot him a look of question he only smiled to let me know he was okay.

Aang overheard what I'd said to Kale a moment ago. "Healing Zuko?" His eyes shot toward the new Fire Lord with question. "What happened to you?"

Looking over I noticed Zuko and Katara had gotten up from the table and walked over to us. Zuko shrugged, "You know… the usual… Azula struck me with lightning."

Toph winced at the thought. "Ouch… I'm surprised you're alive. I thought the crazy chick would've killed you."

Katara added in, "He would be dead if Amber hadn't been there. We'd both probably be dead."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you talking about? If you hadn't jumped in, I'd be the one dead."

"_You_ fought Azula and won. I just assisted you in the end."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Don't give me all the credit in this fight."

"You earned it," Katara said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

The group hugged one another then, glad to see everyone was safe and okay. I rushed over to Sokka as soon as I left Kale and threw my arms around him tightly. Sokka managed to hug me back with one strong arm, using his other arm of support him on the crutch.

I had to ask. "What happened to you?"

Sokka smirked. "Fell off the side of an airship… You know, the usual."

I sighed. "I'm just glad you're all okay."

After I hugged Sokka I hugged Toph, then Suki, and lastly Aang. Throwing my arms around Aang, who had actually managed to match my height after so many months of knowing him, we embraced glad to see one another.

"You look like you were in a war," Aang joked.

Aang was covered in dust and had a few scratches on his own body. I laughed. "Speak for yourself."

The rest of the night we sat around the large table, eating food the servants provided for us and catching up on everything we missed. Looking around the table at the ecstatic faces, I could feel a new vibe circulating through the air. The vibe was something I'd never imagined could exist in such a destructed and broken world.

Peace…

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the chapter! One more to go, and this time I mean it. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and all of your support! You all have kept me going! **


	25. Just The Beginning

**A/N: So here it is! The final chapter has come at last. I want to thank all of my loyal readers and reviewers who have stuck with me through this whole journey. I also want to thank those who personally messaged me and gave me so many encouraging words and suggestions. You all know who you are. I'm kind of sad that this is the end of book 3, but I know it can't last forever. I'm still not sure if I'm continuing into the comic series, but if I am I'll be sure to notify you in an Authors Note I'll attach to this story. I probably will if I can find spare time at college, which starts in two days. Enough with my rant. I truly hope you enjoy this final chapter, and let me know what you all thought. **

**You guys rock!**

**-Faithy Waithy =)**

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><p>Rolling over I pulled my blanket tighter around me not wanting to get out of bed. It was the first time all year that I'd been so comfortable. The mattress beneath me was so soft. I was sure my friends and family were all thinking the exact same thing in the rooms they slept in. The only part I really liked about being a princess so far was the fact that I had a bed. An actual bed!<p>

A knock on the door sounded, and I groaned pulling my covers farther up over my head. I didn't want to wake up. I was so at peace. It had been two days since the battle, but my body was still sore in every place imaginable. Katara tried to heal me where she could, but my muscles were bruised from being thrown around so much.

Yesterday the group spent all day recovering. Zuko's wound was looked after by the palace physician- who gladly took his job back- as well as by Katara for a second opinion. Sokka's leg was also looked after too. He was still on some wooden crutches, but he was doing okay. Kale told me why his knuckles had been bruised so terribly, and I learned it was because he socked Ozai in the jaw to save my integrity. I loved my boyfriend so much. Toph, and Suki spent the majority of the day lying around and talking to servants in the palace. Eventually my family forced me to go get medical attention from the palace physician. I refused only wanting Katara to look me over. In the end she told me I had a few broken ribs, and a lot of bruising. The scratches all over my body only added to her concerns. My body was bandaged up on my arms, my stomach, and my chest by the end of the day.

That was yesterday though… Today was a new day.

A knock on the door sounded again, and I sighed heavily knowing I couldn't sleep any longer. Today was a big day. My brother would be crowned Fire Lord Zuko, and I would be welcomed home as Princess Amber. My family found out yesterday that I would be living at the palace from now on and I could tell they were unsure how to feel. My brother seemed saddened by the news, while my sister tried to be happy for me. She asked me if it really was what I wanted, and I promised her it was. It would be hard to be away from my water tribe family, but Zuko needed someone at his side.

Plus I'd made a promise to him, and I couldn't break it.

"Come in," I said, pulling the covers down from my face.

A servant girl walked in the room. She couldn't have been older than Katara. Her brown eyes were lowered to the floor as she entered, and her chin length brown hair covered a bit of her face. Sitting up, I winced at the pain that shot through my body but quickly brushed it aside.

"My Princess… Forgive me for waking you, but it's time to help you get dressed."

I was speechless. Slowly I managed to get to my feet, wincing as my muscles cried for me to go back to sleep. The young girl was kneeling in front of me, and for a moment I could tell she was afraid. Her body shook and her eyes stayed on the floor. The last princess she served probably caused her to fear any princess she met.

"Um… You really don't have to do that," I said, walking over to her. My hands found her elbows and I helped her stand back up. She was amazed by my action. "I'm just a simple girl like you."

The girl blushed, taking a step back from me with uncertainty. "Is it true then…?" She suddenly asked. "Are the rumors true that you lived as a peasant for most of your life?"

Placing my hand on my wrist where both my bracelets were, I fingered the water tribe bracelet with a small frown. "Yes… The rumors are true. A year ago the only thing I was good at was starting the campfire."

She tried hard not to smile, but I saw she was gladdened by the news. "Forgive me for asking my Princess, it's just when we heard about you we were ecstatic someone of royalty would finally understand us. The servants have for so long been treated like dirt."

"Well if you want me to understand you, then the first matter of business is to stop calling me "my princess", Amber will do just fine. Also, you don't have to bow to me. It makes me kind of uneasy." The girl nodded, taking all of this in. "What's your name by the way?"

My question took her off guard. No one of nobility had probably asked her before. She met my eyes and smiled widely. "My name's Jana, my pri- I mean Amber."

"Well Jana, it's nice to meet you. As to why you originally came in here, you don't have to help me dress. I've dressed myself for the last ten years. Just give me the clothes and I'll be fine."

The original pair of clothing I'd been wearing the other day had been singed and torn from my fight with Azula. Zuko had managed to find me a whole new wardrobe, against my protests, saying that since I was a princess I needed clothes. When I told him I'd wear one of the new shirts and pants to the coronation he immediately consulted with my sister Katara. Since I was to be at Zuko's side during his coronation, everyone was making me dress up. Dress up as in wear a dress, something I really hated. I had no choice in the matter though. Zuko pretty much ordered me to do so. Katara and Suki had picked my dress out yesterday with some of the servants, so I had no clue what I was about to wear.

Jana seemed unsure about letting me dress myself, but after I gave her a reassuring smile she complied. She quickly walked across the room and opened a wooden wardrobe. As she did so I looked around the room I was in as if I were seeing it for the first time. It was dark last night when I entered, so I kind of was. The room was huge, the bed massive with a fine silk red blanket on it. There were five plump pillows on the bed, however they were messy since I'd just woken. The rest of the room had the essentials. There was a fire place, a large glass window over-looking one of the many palace gardens, and a large makeup counter with a mirror. It was odd when Zuko told me that this was my room.

I'd never had my own room before. At least not at the Southern Water Tribe...

Jana had something folded over her arm as she walked over to my bed. She placed the thin looking fire red fabric down. Stepping over, I saw for the first time the dress chosen for me. The dress lying out on the bed had thin straps for the shoulder and seemed long enough to flow to the ground. The bottom of the dress seemed to change from red to an orange tint almost making the dress look like a flame.

Pulling off my night clothes, which were just a loose shirt and some light pants, I winced as the movement sent my whole body into a spasm of pain. Jana must've noticed, because she quickly asked if I needed help. I waved her off, insisting I'd be fine.

"So stubborn," a voice said.

I jumped a bit and turned to see Katara had come into the room. She had some new bandages in her hand. "I thought you'd need some help this morning. I just finished a healing session with Zuko, so I thought I'd stop by and do a quick one on you."

I sighed, my shirt off already. My chest was covered by my usual cloth chest covering, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Sitting on the large bed again, I lied down staring up at the stone ceiling. Jana held onto the new bandages as Katara started her healing. When Katara took off the bandages around my torso, she cringed a bit at the raw skin. "Well… It looks a little better than yesterday."

"You'd think my body would become immune to all these burns," I said softly.

Katara's water glowed as she healed the blistered raw skin that covered my abdomen. "Your body just can't handle your reckless spirit." A silence fell over us, and I relaxed a bit as the healing eased some of my aching muscles. After a moment, Katara spoke again. "I hear the guards managed to release all war prisoners from the palace prison hold late last night."

"Good… I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure they're all glad to be free."

She nodded. "Also, I received word from a servant this morning that an airship had arrived just before sunrise. Father and the others were on board. So… I guess tomorrow Sokka and I will be heading out with father to go back to the South Pole."

Her words made me frown a little. Tomorrow I'd have to be separated from my family. "What about Toph, Aang, and Suki?"

"Suki said she's going to meet back up with the Kyoshi Warriors today and decide their next step. Toph said she might go back home and try to make things right with her parents. As for Aang, he'll journey with Sokka and I. He said he's planning on making his way to Ba Sing Sei one day to help the Earth King out with negotiations and what not. Sokka and I decided we'd go with him."

I sat up when I saw Katara was finished healing me. Jana helped her wrap the bandages around my abdomen where the burns still ached. It would still take another day or two to heal fully.

Eventually Katara and Jana helped me in my dress. The dress was light weight and felt foreign on me. It fit my figure nicely though, and Katara beamed with delight. She did my hair then. Forcing me to sit on the stool by the makeup counter, she hummed as she brushed my hair. My long black hair with fire red highlights looked foreign to me as well.

"A lot has changed this year," I said softly.

Katara nodded, her hands pulling at my hair as she braided a few strands on both sides. "Yeah… Last year we were just simple water tribe kids taking care of our grandma. Who ever thought one kid in an iceberg would change our lives forever?"

I dropped my head a bit. "I'm really going to miss you all."

Katara stopped braiding, and in the mirror I saw her frown at the thought of us being separated. "It won't be forever though," she said, smiling weakly. "We have Appa, so we'll visit whenever we can. And I'm sure the new Fire Lord will let you visit us whenever you want." She started to braid my hair again. "Besides, you'll be too busy to miss us too much. I'm sure you'll have tons of duties as Princess Amber of the Fire Nation."

"Yeah… I guess so…"

I was still hanging my head when a knock on the door sounded. Jana went to open the door to see the owner of the sound. "Amber," Jana said. "Your friend Kale is here to see you."

I cheered up a little, trying to turn my head. Katara placed her hands on both sides of my head though, forcing me to turn back toward the mirror. "I'm not done!" She then said to Jana. "He can come in."

Footsteps walked toward us, and I saw Kale in the mirror when he approached. He was wearing a nice dark red shirt, and some black silk trousers. He held something in his hand, but I couldn't see what it was through Katara's hands braiding my hair.

He handed what he held in his hand over to Katara. "How's it going?"

Katara took it from him with a thanks, and answered, "Your girlfriend's stubborn. That's all I can say."

"Don't call me stubborn. I'm a grown woman! All I said was I can dress myself."

"Yeah… You did so well earlier," Katara said with heavy sarcasm.

Kale chuckled. "That's just classic Amber. She always tries to do everything on her own."

Katara had managed to make two braids on both sides of my head, and clipped it back with whatever Kale had given her. In the mirror I managed to catch a glimpse at what it was. It was the golden hair piece with the red fire lily that Kale had gotten me when we first arrived in the Fire Nation months ago. It matched my dress perfectly, and fit well in my red highlights.

Katara beamed at her work, leaning forward and hugging me from behind. "You look so radiant, Amber. Just like a princess. Mom would be so proud."

Katara and Jana left then to give Kale and I some privacy. Kale wanted to walk me out to the ceremony anyway. When we were alone, I stood facing Kale. Kale placed his soft hand on my cheek, and I leaned into his touch with a smile. "You're so beautiful."

I blushed beat red. "This was all Katara's idea. I hate being part of this ceremony today."

"The world thought you were dead," Kale said. "It's time to show them you're alive and well."

Looking up at him, I grabbed his hand tightly. "Thanks for staying with me Kale… I know you wanted to go back to Ba Sing Sei and work with Uncle."

Kale sighed, pulling me into a warm hug. I hugged him back pressing my face into his shirt. "The only thing I want is to be by your side. Besides…" he pulled from me with a smile. "Being part of Zuko's council will be fun. I get to tell him what to do and what not."

Yesterday Zuko appointed Kale as a member of his council. That meant when Zuko deliberated about something, Kale would be the one to give Zuko advice on what he should do. I knew Zuko had done it to keep his end of the bargain, but I could tell he was sincere in giving the job to Kale. Zuko and Kale had become good friends over the last few months.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "I'm glad you feel that way."

Kale and I made our way out of the room then, heading down the long hall where one side had a wall and the other side was open over-looking one of the many palace fountains. The fountain had a statue of Fire Lord Sozin on it. There were flowers all around the fountain of all different colors. Zuko told me that I was welcome to plant anything I liked anywhere around the palace. I had a feeling I'd be planting a lot of blue flowers to remind me of home. All I saw were mainly red, yellow, and gold.

It was strange to think that this large palace was my new home. Memories flooded back to me in certain rooms or halls I stepped through. Some were nice snippets of my past while others were terrifying.

Eventually we reached the front hall where we found Zuko and Aang were already waiting. Kale kissed me on the cheek and told me he'd be outside. Turning, he left me to go out another exit. The large exit covered by a huge curtain in front of us was where the palace courtyard was. Once we stepped outside, Zuko would officially be Fire Lord and I would officially be Princess Amber. The thought made me slowly make my way over.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a princess… I liked being just Amber… Once long ago I liked just being Kaya...

"Amber! Wow! You look beautiful!"

I blushed beat red at Aang's compliment. When I looked at him as I approached, I saw he was wearing some traditional Air Nation robes. He also wore a beaded necklace with a charm that had three air symbols on it.

"Thanks," I said softly. "Katara and Toph picked out the dress… I guess they have good taste."

My eyes looked over to Zuko then. He wore a dark red Fire Nation robe. He stood straight and seemed to be doing okay. I assumed his chest was healing up pretty well. His eyes stared at me widely, as if he were seeing a ghost.

"You look… so much like mom…" His words were torn a little as he saw our mother through me. He stepped over to me and suddenly his arms wrapped around me. His embrace was sudden but so warm. "I'm so glad I found you again."

I smiled, saying softly, "If you hadn't I would've never experienced this amazing adventure."

Zuko pulled away from me then, and Aang placed a hand on my shoulder. "The adventures just begun," Aang said.

Zuko was about to step through the curtain to address the men and women in the courtyard. Right before he did so, he told Aang and I to not come out until he announced us. He left then, the curtain falling behind him. Cheers could be heard from the crowd that had formed outside.

"Sounds like a lot of people," I muttered.

Aang nudged me on my elbow. "Don't tell me the Spirit of Fire has stage fright?"

I shoved him and he laughed as we joked around. I felt a bit more at ease. I was glad Aang had cheered me up.

"Please!" Zuko suddenly shouted to the crowd. "The real hero is the Avatar!"

Aang headed out of the curtain then, giving me a thumb's up as he went. When he stepped through the crowd cheered louder than before upon him entering the platform with Zuko.

"Today, this war is finally over!" Zuko exclaimed to the crowd. "I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace!"

The crowd cheered once more when Zuko stopped speaking. They silenced a second later.

"Also, today I want to welcome home someone who has been away for far too long. Almost ten years ago this nation lost someone very important. Not only was she a princess of the Fire Nation, but she was also my sister and best friend. My father had cruelly sought to have her killed, and for so many years we thought her to be dead. However my sister proved herself to be strong. She came out of the shadows, joined the Avatar, and in the end helped to restore peace back to the land. It is with great privilege that I welcome back home my sister, Princess Amber of the Fire Nation."

The crowd broke into loud cheers as I stepped through the heavy curtain. The sun immediately entered my vision, and I winced a bit at the light. Adjusting my gaze, I looked around the palace courtyard in astonishment. The whole courtyard was crowded. At the front were all the war prisoners and my friends. In the mix I saw father, Kuro, and Kuro's friend Coal. Beside them stood Kale, Toph, Sokka, Katara, Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee.

Walking over to the center of the stage, I blushed beat red at all the attention I was getting. Zuko stepped over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Welcome home sis."

I smiled meeting his eyes. "Thanks, Zu."

He was surprised when I used the old nickname I'd once called him. He smiled widely and hugged me only making the crowd cheer louder.

Finally Zuko was told to kneel as one of the Fire Sages came to crown him. My eyes watched as Zuko knelt on the stage and the Fire Sage placed a flame shaped gold crown in Zuko's top knot. The sage shouted, "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!"

As the crowd continued to cheer, Zuko stood and the Fire Sage left the stage. Aang grabbed my hand then and pulled me over to where Zuko stood. The three of us posed on the edge of the stage, waving to the crowd as they cheered. When my eyes caught sight of my Water Tribe family again in the crowd, I looked over at Zuko for permission. He seemed to read my mind, smiling at me to let me know I could.

Running down the steps, I raced into the crowd toward my father. Dad met me half way and immediately wrapped his strong arms around me. My eyes began to water as I felt comfort in my father's hold. Hakoda sighed, glad to have me in his arms. "My beautiful daughter… I'm so proud of you."

Pressing my face into his shirt, I said softly, "I'll miss you all so much."

He kissed me on the forehead, saying, "This isn't good-bye. We'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Sokka said. He had hobbled over to us and pulled me in a headlock. "Cheer up sis." I shoved him off but beamed at his brotherly affection. He continued to speak. "We'll visit you, and you can visit us. You're a princess anyway. I'm sure if you want to head to the South Pole Zuko could get you transportation."

I nodded. "Yeah… I know."

"Amber!" Someone suddenly slammed into me, and I gasped when Ty Lee's arms wrapped around me. "It's so good to see you!"

I hugged Ty Lee back, glad to see her too. Pulling away, I asked, "What are you wearing?"

Ty Lee wore a green robe, and she had face paint on. She looked like she was a warrior of some kind. Suki and a group of girls walked over, wearing the exact same outfit. Immediately I realized who these girls were. "You're a Kyoshi Warrior now?"

Suki answered my question before Ty Lee. "Ty Lee was the one to lead the guards through the prison cells yesterday and release all the war prisoners. When she ran into my girls they clichéd and invited her to join them. I couldn't say no. Ty Lee's an awesome fighter."

Ty Lee beamed. "I finally get to say goodbye to that awful circus and be a warrior!"

I hugged her again, happy for her more than ever. Ty Lee and the warriors walked off then, leaving me with Suki, Sokka, and my father. "Zuko spoke to me earlier. He said their having a huge banquet this afternoon in honor of his coronation, as well as a farewell," Suki said.

Sokka asked with sad eyes, "Are you going back to Kyoshi Island tomorrow?"

She smiled weakly. "Yes. The girls and I have missed our families. I'll see you all again soon though."

While her, Sokka, and my father broke into conversation, I looked through the busy crowd. Aang had made his way over to Katara and Toph, while Zuko had made his way over to Kale, Kuro, and Coal. From the distance, I saw Zuko look over at me for a brief moment, and Kuro and Coal did so as well. Kale was rolling his eyes at something. I wanted to know what was being said, but before I could take a step someone stepped in my path.

"You look different," a voice spoke softly.

"Mai!"

My friend Mai was relieved to see me too, and she was the first to hug me in her arms. Her embrace was so kind and familiar. I'd missed her embrace, even though I had hardly any memory of it in the past. Mai was my good friend, and that's all I needed to know.

"You were great up there," Mai said, pulling away.

I shrugged. "All I did was smile and wave. Zuko did the talking."

She nodded. "I guess... Eventually the public will want to hear you speak though."

"Well when that time comes…" I began. "You can write my speech for me."

She laughed, hugging me again. She left me once more to head over to Zuko. While she did that Kale, Coal, and Kuro walked over to me.

"Amber! You're not going to believe this!" Kale grabbed both of my arms with excitement. "Zuko just asked Kuro and Coal to be personal bodyguards in the palace!"

Kuro spoke up. "It was completely out of the blue. He said he'd love that the two of us work in the palace with him."

So Zuko was keeping all of his promises to me. I looked between the two men with question. "You're both taking his offer?"

Kuro shrugged. "It's not like I have much of a life in Ba Sing Sei anymore. I'm sure now that they know I'm Fire Nation none of my fellow guards will trust me. Besides, I have a lot of making up to do with my brother." He stepped over to Kale and put him in a choke hold, rubbing his knuckles in his little brother's hair. Kale winced and tried to shove him off.

My eyes shot to Coal with question too. He smirked. "If I get my own bedroom and three meals a day, I'm a happy guy." He leaned forward a bit, whispering, "Also women in the Fire Nation are definitely beauties. I think I'll stick around for a while." His eyes shot over to some fire nation women nearby who were smiling over at him. He winked at them and they giggled walking off.

"Coal!" Kuro snapped, letting go of Kale finally who stepped away running a hand through his messed up hair. "Don't make me put a leash on you!"

I only laughed at the new side of Coal. When I first met the guy, I didn't know much about him. I could see now he was a fun guy to be around. So was Kuro. It would be cool having them around in the palace.

"Well, it will be great to have you both here. I feel relieved knowing I'll be around people I can trust," I said. Then I turned to Kale, saying, "I'm going to go run an errand really quick. I'll see you at the banquet later today."

Kale was surprised, "What errand could you possibly be running right now?"

I smiled weakly. "I promised I'd go grab something for Katara. I'll be back soon."

He looked suspicious. "I can accompany you."

Shaking my head, I backed up a little. "No… I'll be okay. I'll see you later. Tell Zuko I'll be back soon if he asks."

Turning I walked away, and as I pushed through the crowd I looked back to see Kale was still watching me. I really hoped he didn't follow, because he wouldn't like what I was about to do.

Getting back into the palace, I walked through the halls for a good five minutes. The palace was huge, and I felt like it would take me forever to learn all the different rooms and passages. Finally I made it to my destination though. It was very quiet on the part of the palace I'd arrived in. Two guards were positioned at a wooden door, and when they saw me they quickly bowed. The guards all recognized me as the princess because of my fire red highlights. That's the only way anyone recognized I was the princess. Maybe if I colored my hair completely black I wouldn't have to be bowed to anymore…?

A servant stepped out of the door being guarded, and I saw the middle aged woman holding a tray of uneaten food. "How is she?"

The woman frowned at my question. "Still no change, Princess. I've tried to get her to eat, but she refuses. Her health is declining rapidly."

Taking the food from the woman, I said, "Thank you for your help. I'll try." She bowed and left me, heading down the hall. The two guards opened the doors for me and I thanked them entering the room.

The room was lit by sunlight coming in through a small window in the corner of the room. The window was small enough so Azula wouldn't squeeze through, but big enough for fresh air and warmth to come in the room. I'd come to visit Azula in the chaos of everything yesterday, but she had paid me no mind. She was in the exact same position I'd left her in yesterday. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were torn from two days ago. She refused to let anyone touch her, so getting her to a bath was difficult.

Her foggy gold eyes shot up toward me for a brief second, and then they looked back at the bed. She was seated against the headboard of her bed. A blanket was draped around her shoulders, but her body shivered as if she were still cold. She held onto her knees and hugged them to her tightly. I wondered if taking her fire bending away was the main fault here. I'd had no choice though. She would've just kept fighting until someone truly did die.

"Azula… You should eat," I said. Walking over to her, I placed the tray beside her curled up form. "Starving yourself won't help."

She scowled, her eyes looking over at me again as if I were the enemy. I suppose stealing her fire bending did make me the enemy.

"Well, well… Princess Amber graces me with her presence," Azula muttered. Her voice was soft, and her hands tightened into fists. "I should feel honored."

I sighed, crossing my arms and looking toward the small window in the room. "You're still a princess too, Azula. You've never lost your title."

Azula scowled. "I was supposed to be Fire Lord! It's something I've wanted my whole life."

"Why?" I began, shaking my head in disbelief. "So you could make daddy proud? The monster's in prison now, and from what I hear he hasn't asked once to see you. That man had you wrapped around his finger, made you believe finding favor in his eyes was what was most important, and then in the end he discarded you like a fly. You're so blind, Azula. If you were dead, do you really think Ozai would care? I could've ended your life the other day, and I bet you Ozai wouldn't have mourned once over your death."

Azula hung her head, pressing her face into her knees. She knew I was right. I hated that I _was_ right.

"Why did you come here today? To rub it in my face. You're doing a heck of a job." She lifted her head and I saw tears streaming down her face. "If you want to gloat then at least bring Zuzu in here. That way he can show off his crown to me."

"I'm not here to gloat," I said. "I'm here as a worried sister. You need to eat. You're withering away into nothing, and it has me worried."

"I'll eat when you give me my fire back."

Sitting on the side of the bed with my back to Azula, I hung my head in guilt still crossing my arms. "I told you… I can't because I don't know how."

"If you're this so called "Spirit of Fire", I see no reason why you can't," Azula hissed.

"I'm still new to it…" I turned my body slightly on the bed so I could look at Azula again. "Huo didn't exactly leave me instructions."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "That's because you destroyed his life too by forcing his fire from him!"

"So that's it then," I said softly, standing from the bed and turning fully toward her. "I destroyed your life." Azula looked at me in surprise when I snapped, "If I destroyed your life you would be dead! I spared your life, which was something not even Zuko wanted to do! Be happy that your alive and not locked up in a prison cell beside father! Be happy I'm trying to help you!"

"Why would you want to help me?" Azula snapped back. "Just kill me already! I'm better off dead anyway!"

I slapped Azula across the face. Her eyes went wide with shock, and her hand pressed on her cheek which was turning red. I was surprised that I'd slapped her, but at the same time I felt glad I did. "Don't talk like your life is worthless! You may feel that way, but to me you're my sister who I love."

Azula was speechless, her foggy eyes filling with tears at my words. She stopped talking and stared back to the bed at her food. Her shaky hand picked up the piece of bread on her plate and she chewed it not meeting my eyes. She was eating, and I sighed in utter relief.

"Thank you," I said softly. I started to leave, but stopped at the door saying one last thing. "I'm sorry for hitting you. That was wrong of me. I just don't like hearing you talk that way." I looked back at Azula who was still chewing on her bread and staring at the bed. "I'll be back tomorrow. If you need me before then, just ask one of the servants to fetch me. I'm always here for you." Pushing on the door, I opened it and walked back into the hall. The guards positioned closed the door behind and bowed as I left.

Heading down the hall, I asked one of the servants to help me find my way back to my room. They were more than happy to do so. Once I got back into my large room, I quickly took the dress I wore off, undid my hair letting it fall to my lower back, and then put on my red shirt and black trousers.

Placing the Fire Lily hair pin on my makeup counter, I looked at my reflection in the mirror with a smile. I was back to just being plain simple me, and I liked it.

Just as I was about to leave my room again, I stopped at the large wooden wardrobe and pulled an article of clothing out of it. Throwing the dark red robe over my shoulders, I decided it was best to leave the palace in disguise. If anyone spotted me, they'd tell Zuko or Kale right away. Last thing I wanted was someone stopping me. Pulling the hood over my head, I left my room and made my way through the palace toward my destination.

It was definitely hard getting out of the palace without being spotted, but luckily most of the palace guards were positioned outside where I assumed the crowd was still celebrating. Heading out through the back of the palace, I managed to use my fire and shoot myself over the palace walls. Landing on the other side of the wall, I immediately set off uphill toward the palace prison. The prison was about a two mile walk from the palace, and it was on the highest point of the crater that surrounded the whole capital city.

After two long miles of walking, I finally made it to the palace prison. The prison was a large tower built into the side of a crater. There was a large wall around it, and guards were positioned all around. Approaching the gate, which was a large steel door, the guards in the gate tower quickly spotted me.

"Halt! Show yourself and state your business?"

Upon the order, I pulled my hood back to reveal my fire red highlights. Looking up at the watch tower, I saw the guard who had spoken was staring at me in surprise. "My name is Princess Amber of the Fire Nation. I have come to see Ozai, one of your prisoners here."

The gates immediately opened upon my order. I sighed, still finding it weird that these people did what I wanted without question. Being a princess was going to take some serious getting used to.

Heading inside the prison gates, the warden of the prison met me in the yard. He was a man of mid-thirties, with a strong physique, and a baboon face like Zhao's used to be. He bowed, saying, "Princess Amber… Forgive me for not knowing you were coming today. I would've had the gate already open."

I waved him off. "Actually, I kind of want to keep this a secret. If Fire Lord Zuko finds out, he'll freak with worry."

The warden nodded, and then gestured for me to follow him. The two of us entered the prison, and the deeper we got inside the darker and colder it became. There were torches on the walls to light our path, and every now and then we'd pass a cell with a ruff looking man or woman inside.

"Most of the prisoners here have committed severe crimes. Murderers and assaulters can be found all through these cells."

I cringed a bit, not wanting to think about the water tribe warriors and other war prisoners being stuck in here. They probably were scared out of their minds. The warden continued to lead me deeper into the prison, and I pulled my cloak tighter around me to stop the cold.

We stopped finally after what felt like forever at a thick steel door. There were two guards positioned at the door, and they bowed when they saw me. "The Fire Lord's cell is through this door."

The warden opened the door with a key, and I stepped inside. He started to step inside with me, but I turned to him with a smile. "It's alright… I don't need someone to accompany me. This is something I need to do alone."

The warden seemed like he wanted to argue, but in the end he nodded and bowed. "We'll be right outside if you need us." He turned then and shut the door behind, leaving me with Ozai.

With a heavy sigh, I turned and faced the room I stood in. It was dimly lit by two candles on the wall. The room was half of a cell, while the other half was standing room. The cell had a cot, and a chamber pot in the corner… That was all.

Sitting against the wall of the cell was Ozai, the man who I regretted to admit was my father. Through the dim light I saw the shape he was in. His gold eyes looked tired and full of hate, his long black hair was tangled and unkempt, and his clothes were tattered rags. When he saw me standing at the edge of his cell, he stared at me for a moment with an emotion I could only decipher as amazement. He quickly masked it with hate.

Standing tall, I spoke to Ozai for the first time in ten years. "Do you know who I am?"

Ozai looked dead into my eyes, and I saw him scowl in the dim light. "I'm sad to say I do. It's hard not to recognize a freak like you."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're still the same I see. A heartless cold monster who only loves himself... Guess this cell is perfect for you."

The man snickered, his sinister laugh sending slight chills down my spine. "You have your mom's smart mouth I see. That's something you and your pathetic brother share."

"Yet I've found no characteristics that carried on from you… Not that I'm too saddened by that. The last thing I want to do is look in the mirror and see your face."

Ozai growled. "You disrespect your father with that stubborn mouth."

I couldn't help it. I let out a scoff. "My father…?" I tightened my fist at my side. "You stopped being my father the moment you sentenced me to die."

"Doesn't bother me," Ozai snapped, looking away from me at a spot on the wall. "I never wanted a freak to be my daughter anyway. I wish every day since I learned you were alive that I'd killed you with my own bare hands."

I knew I shouldn't let his words affect me, but they actually hurt. "Why? How could you hate me so much?"

Ozai answered, "You were given life by a spirit. You were tainted with power that would one day overthrow me. I had to end your life before you ended mine. With you dead, I'd have you out of my way and a clear shot at the throne."

I gritted my teeth. "You were afraid I'd overthrow you? I was a six year old girl, you monster!"

"Yes…" he hissed. "A six year old girl who would grow into a strong spirit like you've become today. My father always taught me that spirits were not my friends. He taught me that all spirits ever wanted was peace in the world. Having a spirit under my own roof, I couldn't allow that! You would ruin all my plans!"

"And yet, in the end, your mistake _was_ trying to rid this world of me. If you had never ordered Zhao to kill me, the Water Tribe would've never saved my life. In the end you led to your own demise the moment you wanted me dead."

Ozai stood slowly, his gold eyes looking ready to kill me at the moment. He walked over to me, stopping right at the bars. "My only fault in these last ten years, was trusting that stupid oaf Zhao with such a heavy task. All he had to do was dump you in the freezing water. All he had to do was let you drown… He failed me, and he reached his much deserved end because of it. He's lucky I didn't burn him the moment I found out you were alive and well."

I shook my head. "I can't believe you… I thought maybe I exaggerated a bit when I pictured how you'd be, but I obviously didn't exaggerate enough. All you cared about is yourself… you were willing to put mom, Zuko, and Azula through pain by killing me just so you could ensure you had a path to the throne. The thing that makes me sick is the duty of Fire Lord never belonged to you in the first place. Iroh was the next in line. He deserved the throne more than you, yet you used his son's death to your own gain. You know what you are Ozai… you're a coward."

His eyes narrowed at me.

I kept talking. "You feed off of other people's misery. You managed to take the throne from Iroh because of his mourning. You gained Azula's loyalty by feeding her a bunch of lies. You banished your only son Zuko, knowing that he'd do anything he could to regain his honor and your favor. You even sent away mom just so you could keep your place on the throne… You live to see people in pain."

Ozai was getting irritated. "What's your point?"

"My point is this… you are nothing but a heartless man. You always have and always will be. You spent your whole life leading others with a cruel hand. In the end here you are, all alone in a cell, with no fire bending or honor. Was it all worth it? Was destroying your whole family for some stupid crown really worth a lifetime of solitude?"

"You foolish girl," he hissed. "If I never took the throne then you wouldn't be a princess to this day. You should be thanking me!"

I crossed my arms stepping closer to him. "I don't care about some stupid title. I'd be happy just being Kaya again. I'd be happy living in my little igloo home, listening to the warriors tell stories, sneaking out at sunrise to practice fire bending, laughing with my family, and not having to remember all the pain you put me through every minute of my life. The only reason I'd ever thank you is because you're desire to kill me allowed me to live a happy childhood."

Ozai leaned closer to the bars, hissing, "Why don't you go back to them then… That family you love so much…?

"Because I love Zuko, and even though I want to go back with my Water Tribe family, I promised him I'd stay by his side." I leaned forward too. "You see Ozai, that's what family does. They sacrifice what they want to make each other happy."

"It seems you have it all figured out," he growled. He smirked then. "You were a fool coming here today." His hands suddenly reached through the bars and grabbed my mouth and throat. I gasped as Ozai yanked me toward him, the sound from my mouth blocked by his hard palm. His other hand held onto my throat, not to strangle me but to lock me right in front of him. "You may think you have all the power, just because you're the "spirit of fire" now, but let me make myself clear…" he pulled me closer so my head was pressing against the bars. My hands tightened into fists as I prepared to fire at him. "I could break your neck right now if I wanted to… and I do want to."

Shooting a blast of fire down at his feet, he shoved me back with a gasp so he could distance himself from me. His feet were bare, so the fire I just shot at him had eaten at his toes turning them red. "You freak! I'll kill you!" I was sitting on my butt at the moment, having fallen on it when Ozai shoved me back. My burns were protesting, and I felt my broken ribs send sharp pains through me. Ozai reached through the bars, tightening his fist as if he were picturing strangling me.

A voice suddenly snapped, "Let us through!" The door to the cell room burst open suddenly, and Kale rushed in looking around wildly. When he saw me on the floor, he rushed over falling beside me. Aang and Zuko ran in behind him worried, and I stared at the three with bewilderment. Ozai scowled, stepping back and leaning against the wall.

"Amber," Kale said, grabbing my arm which I hadn't noticed was shaking. "Come on love. Let's get you out of here."

Aang quickly stepped to the other side of me, grabbing my other arm. The two helped me up and supported me. My whole body shook, shocked by Ozai's abrupt attack. Zuko stepped in between Ozai and I, hissing to the man, "What did you do to her?"

Ozai smirked. "You should keep the freak on a tighter leash."

Zuko hissed, pointing a finger at him, "You stay away from her."

"It's not my fault… The freak came to me," he hissed. "Don't blame me for taking the opportunity to kill the runt."

Aang and Kale were already leading me out of the room. The warden held the door open, saying, "I apologize princess, however I had to tell Fire Lord Zuko as soon as you came on the premises."

Zuko stepped through the door, shutting it behind him. "It's a good thing you did Warden Poon. Thank you."

Aang had let go of my arm once we'd exited the room, and asked as the three of us made our way down the hall, "What were you thinking Amber?! You could've been seriously hurt or killed!"

I hung my head, my arms crossed as I tried to find some warmth. My body continued to shake, even as we headed toward the warmer air of the prison. "I don't know," I said softly. "I just wanted to face him."

Zuko had taken the lead, and I could tell he wasn't happy from how tense his body appeared. "You're lucky we got to you in time. Kale sensed something was wrong and voiced his concerns to Aang and I. It's a good thing we received a hawk message from the warden, and had Appa to get us here quickly."

"I was fine… You had nothing to worry about."

"Fine?!" Kale asked, bewildered. "You faced a man who's wanted you dead for almost ten years! It's a wonder he didn't kill you! He probably wanted to as soon as you stepped in the room."

I hung my head more, sorry that I had made them worry so much. "Don't worry," I said softly. "I'm never coming back here again. One time was enough."

Zuko looked back at me sternly. "You won't be coming back here. You're forbidden to do so."

I winced a bit at the order in his tone. He pretty much just gave me my first restriction as a princess. I knew I deserved it after making the three worry.

Eventually we made it back outside the palace where Appa was waiting in the prison yard. The sun caused me to wince as we left the dark and entered the light. Kale helped me up on Appa, and the other two followed behind. We flew from the prison once everyone was on board, Aang taking the reins. Zuko sat in front of me with his arms crossed.

"You should've told me about this reckless plan," he said. "If we hadn't gotten to you in time…"

"If I'd told you then you would've stopped me. Besides… I was doing just fine," I said softly, not meeting their eyes. "I'm not weak and defenseless like you all think."

Kale sighed. "We don't think that Amber… We just know how rash you can be at times. None of us want you to get hurt."

I nodded, hanging my head a bit. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone. I don't really know why I came today… I guess I just wanted to understand how a man could hate his own flesh and blood so terribly. I thought maybe there would be some sense of regret in Ozai's eyes, or maybe he'd be… I don't know… ashamed. However, I was wrong… Ozai has and always will hate me. I shouldn't have expected such an evil man to feel anything other than disgust toward me."

Aang looked back at me as he flew us back toward the palace. "He doesn't deserve a daughter like you Amber. You're better off just forgetting about him."

I knew Aang was right, but at the same time it was hard. No matter what, Ozai would always be my father by blood. A warm hand grabbed my own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Looking up, I met Zuko's eyes once more. "We don't need that man's love…" Zuko spoke. "What's important right now is repairing what we have with Azula."

I nodded, knowing he was right. "And finding mom…"

Zuko nodded. "And finding mom."

Eventually we returned back to the palace, and Kale helped me off of Appa. The crowd in the courtyard was gone, leaving just the war prisoners and a few Fire Nation nobles. The feast was being held in the banquet hall around dinner time, which was steadily drawing near.

"Amber!" Sokka suddenly hobbled over to me on his crutches and hugged me to him. "Are you crazy?! Do you enjoy trying to get yourself killed?!"

Katara and Toph had walked over also, and I could tell Katara wasn't too happy. "You're crazy! He could've killed you!"

Toph waved Katara off. "Oh all of you chill… Princess knows what she's doing."

"Thanks, Toph," I said, smiling weakly. I was glad at least one person had my back.

Later that evening at the banquet, I stuck to the corner of the large room not wanting to get in the mix of the crowd. The banquet hall was lit by large chandeliers above that servants had placed candles in a while ago. There was music playing from the other side of the room, and loud chatter could be heard all around. A long table was set up against one of the walls, and there was more food on it than I'd ever seen. I felt a bit under dressed whenever a nobleman came by in an exquisite outfit. I was just wearing my normal attire, the same I'd worn to the prison. The cloak was still around my shoulders, mainly because I still felt chills from facing Ozai.

Zuko was busy chatting with the nobles, my father, and other men of all nations. Aang was also chatting amongst the crowd, telling about his plans for repairing the world. I chewed on my moon peach, watching the people around me walk by. Some bowed over at me when they saw me, and I nodded to acknowledge them.

"There you are Amber!" Ty Lee exclaimed, skipping over suddenly. She still wore her Kyoshi Warrior outfit. Mai, Suki, and Toph followed behind. "Suki and Toph just told us the funniest story!"

Mai smiled slightly, saying, "We didn't really believe them, so we came over here to confirm it."

I had a bad feeling suddenly. "What did they tell you?"

Ty Lee grabbed both of my arms, exclaiming, "That you won a burping contest the other day! Is it true?"

Immediately I glared daggers at Toph. "You told them about that?!"

She held up her hands in defense, knowing I was snapping at her. "Don't look at me Princess. It was all Ninja over here." Toph had started to call Suki "Ninja" for some reason. I guess because she was a very agile fighter.

"Suki," I whined.

Suki smiled, saying, "They're your friends, aren't they? It's best they know who you really are."

I sighed, covering my face in embarrassment.

Mai placed a hand on my shoulder. "I think it's great to hear you're not as uptight as you seem."

I was bewildered. "Uptight? Why do you say that?"

Ty Lee answered. "You don't ever really look happy... When we heard about the burp contest, it was good to know you got to lighten up some."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm assuming they didn't tell you the whole story then? I was blackmailed into it."

"Well then, that makes the story even better," Mai joked. I crossed my arms and pouted, while the four girls beside me laughed.

"Ha ha," I muttered.

Kale suddenly arrived, stepping over to me and my friends. "Sorry to interrupt ladies, but I was wondering if I could borrow Amber?"

Ty Lee smirked, dancing a bit in front of Kale. "So you're Amber's boyfriend, huh?" She leaned forward looking Kale up and down. "Definitely cute and strong... I approve."

Kale blushed at the sudden interrogation, and I stepped in between. "Thanks for the approval Ty Lee," I said with sarcasm. Taking Kale's hand, I pulled him away from my friends. "Make sure you kiss her, Kale!"

I turned back and glared at Ty Lee again. She waved at me with innocence, while Mai, Toph, and Suki laughed again. Kale smirked, walking in step beside me now. "Those girls definitely don't need to be together. They'll cause trouble."

Rolling my eyes, I stared at the floor as we walked through the crowd. "They're a handful… Toph isn't the best influence either."

We headed out of the banquet then, and through the many halls of the palace. The farther we got from the banquet, the quieter and more peaceful it became.

I had to ask. "Where are we going?"

He smiled. "You'll see."

We walked for a little while longer. Just as we reached a turn to another hall, Kale stopped and pulled something out of his pocket. "Turn around," he said softly. "I have a surprise, and I don't want you to see it right away."

I was stunned by his request, but did as he asked. Turning, I closed my eyes and felt him blindfold me with the piece of cloth he had. My world became dark, and I stood still waiting for him to finish tying the fabric. He took both of my hands then, saying, "It's just around this corner. I'll tell you when you can look."

He began to guide me through the hall, turning me when we rounded the corner. I held on tightly to his hands, not wanting to trip over my feet. I couldn't see anything, and I had no clue where we were going. I didn't know this palace at all, so I couldn't guess. Kale grew up in these halls though, so he knew this place from the back of his head.

"Almost there," Kale promised.

A good minute later, my feet suddenly left stone ground and touched soft grass. The air around me turned into a warm summer breeze. I heard a rustle of leaves indicating I was outside and there was a tree near me. There were a few quacks heard in the distance, telling me we were near Turtle Ducks.

I was eager to see. "Now?"

Kale kept pulling me along. "Not yet… Almost there…"

His hands left my own then, and they went on my shoulders. He gestured for me to sit, and shakily I sat down. A bench immediately caught me, and I felt it discovering it was smooth stone. Kale sat beside me, his arm touching my own. "Alright…" he said, and I felt his fingers undo the blindfold. "Now."

The blindfold came off, and light quickly flooded my vision once again. After blinking a few times, I opened my eyes to see where Kale had brought me. There was a pond in front of me, the setting sun reflecting in the water and creating sparkles on the ripples. Turtle Ducks swam across the pond, dipping their heads in the water and flapping their wings. Red Fire Lilies circled around the border of the pond, creating a beautiful scene.

"I thought you'd like this place…" Kale said, trailing off a bit at the end.

Covering my mouth, I felt warm tears slide down my cheeks as I stared at the beautiful familiar scene before me. The tree I'd heard rustle earlier was right behind us as we sat on a fine stone bench. The tree was where I'd climbed once long ago to pick an apple for Zuko. The pond was where I'd once shoved Zuko into the water, cheering him up. This bench I sat on was one my mother and I had sat on together, enjoying the moments we still had with one another.

This was the garden I remembered so many times over the last year. This garden was my childhood.

Standing from the bench slowly, I stepped over to the water and knelt down at the edge. My reflection shimmered back at me, and I pictured a six year old girl doing the exact same thing almost ten years ago. "This place… it's the first place I remembered when I started to get my memories back." Tears fell from my eyes into the water, breaking my reflection. "This garden was my favorite place in the whole palace."

"I know," Kale said. He stepped over to me and knelt beside me, his hand brushing through my hair. "When we were young, we'd sneak here at night and look up at the stars. You even found my birthday present in this very pond once." He pulled a purple stone from his pocket, holding it in front of my line of sight. I took it carefully in my hand, immediately feeling a sense of familiarity. "Without the stone, I would've never found you again."

My grip tightened around the stone, my lips pulling up a bit as I felt comfort fill inside me. Standing, Kale stood with me. His arm wrapped around me and he pulled me to his side. I placed the stone back in his hand, saying softly, "I'm glad I gave it to you then."

We returned to the bench once more sitting down, and I leaned into Kale with utter peace. He hugged me to him, pressing his face into my hair. The sun was starting to set, and the Turtle Ducks were waddling on land to sleep for the night. Grass-crickets began to chirp as night came over the palace, and slowly stars began to show in the sky above.

Kale sighed, enjoying the peace as much as I was. "Just like old times."

"Yeah," I said softly. My bare feet pressed into the grass enjoying the soft texture.

After a moment of silence, Kale spoke again. "It's hard to believe this war is finally over."

I nodded, my eyes staring up at the stars high above. "It's really sad to say," I began. "But I'm going to miss all the chaos. Traveling around the world finding Aang teachers and what not was something I came to love. Now that it's all over, I'm kind of scared of what's next. I feel like everything's coming to an end so fast."

Kale pulled me closer to him. "Don't think that way… Nothing's coming to an end. We're all still kids. We have tons to learn, tons to see, and tons to do. Just because we're no longer on a mission to defeat the Fire Lord, doesn't mean we have to sit around for the rest of our lives doing nothing. This may be the end of our past mission, but it's not the end of everything."

Kale's words were amazing me. Where was all this coming from?

"We still have our whole lives ahead of us," he continued, forcing me to turn and look at him. The air was darker around us, but the moon had rose and lit the garden with white light. "We have a world to rebuild, memories to make, and a life time to make them. Our adventure is just beginning."

I felt relieved and reassured by his words. Kale always knew what to say.

Leaning toward me, Kale stopped right before he kissed me. "We have a long road ahead of us… If we stick together though, we can accomplish anything."

I nodded, saying softly, "Thanks for always being there for me, Kale. I wouldn't have made it this far without you. I love you so much."

"I love you too my princess." He leaned in then and kissed me, his hand going to the back of my head. I wrapped my arms around his neck pushing myself closer to him.

Kale was right. Even if our past mission was over, we still had our whole lives ahead of us. This wasn't the end… This was only the beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So that's the end. I tried not to make it too cheesy, so I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading, and for everything else. You all were my encouragement in writing this series, and I had fun doing so. I'll let you all know soon if I'm continuing into the comic series. Thanks again for everything. =)**


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